BERLIN/HANOI, Nov 12 (dpa): German Chancellor Olaf Scholz leaves on Saturday evening to visit several South-East Asian countries on the longest official trip of his term in office so far.
Over four days, he will visit Vietnam and Singapore and take part in the G20 summit of economic powers on the Indonesian island of Bali.
There he will discuss the war in Ukraine, climate change and the food crisis with US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, among others.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has cancelled his participation and is sending Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as a representative.
First, however, Scholz will fly with a business delegation to Vietnam, where he will meet Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in the capital Hanoi on Sunday.
Vietnam is one of the countries that did not condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine in votes at the UN General Assembly, unlike Singapore, which voted in favour of the resolutions.
In Singapore, Scholz and German Economy Minister Robert Habeck are to take part in a conference that will focus on reducing economic dependence on China and deepening partnerships with other Asian states.
This is Scholz' third trip to Asia in 11 months, following two brief visits to Japan and China. - dpa
