German foreign minister will meet with NATO’s Rutte and India’s Goyal after delaying his trip to China

Mark Rutte, who is Secretary General of NATO, Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal, and other top officials will be meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Brussels starting Monday, according to a spokesperson for his ministry.

Wadephul decided to delay his trip to China that was supposed to start on Sunday because Beijing only agreed to one of the talks he wanted, which shows that trade and security issues between China and Germany are getting worse.

According to a spokeswoman for Germany’s foreign ministry, Wadephul will also meet with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, Sefcovic, EU Trade Commissioner, and Kaja Kallas, EU Foreign Policy Chief.

“The focus of the consultations with representatives of the EU and NATO – the organisations that bring together our most important and closest partners and allies – will be on continued support for Ukraine and European security and defence capabilities,” said the spokeswoman.

The talks will also cover issues related to international trade, such as the future and possible ways to make sure there is a steady flow of important raw materials, especially computer chips and rare earths, which face supply chain problems.

According to the spokesperson, Goyal is in Brussels to talk about trade strategy.
Europe and India are working hard to sign a free trade agreement by the end of the year.