Germany's foreign minister was irritated when his colleague in Berlin, Transportation Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee, informed him that the China's State Council had agreed in principle to extend the Transrapid line from Shanghai by 180 kilometers to Hangzhou.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Social Democrats had just spoken with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and had also met with his own Chinese counterpart, Li Zhaoxing, but his hosts only gave slight hints about what the future might hold in store for the German magnetic levitation train. The imperial mandarins on the colorful, decorative screen behind the foreign minister in the "dragon hall" of the Hotel Kempinsky almost appeared to be smirking at the uninformed minister.

On Thursday, Steinmeier learned that the information he had been given was incorrect, and it was China's head of state and Communist Party leader Hu Jintao who clarified the issue. The Chinese government views the issue positively, but a final decision about extending the Transrapid line hasn't been made, he told the German foreign minister in the Great Hall of the People. Tiefensee had apparently jumped the gun.

The back and forth over the Transrapid overshadowed Steinmeier's first visit to China -- one that wasn't lacking in sensitive issues. The Chinese had tensely awaited Steinmeier's visit to see if Berlin's new chief diplomat would give Beijing the kid glove treatment that former chancellor Gerhard Schröder once gave, or whether the new foreign minister would follow in the footsteps of his more critical predecessor, Joschka Fischer.

But Steinmeier, who formerly served as Schröder's chief of staff, wanted to prove that he wasn't a "Schröder clone," as one high-ranking German diplomat put it.

Lifting of arms embargo on ice

In that sense, he was only partially successful. Steinmeier didn't speak of lifting the EU weapons embargo against China as Schröder had done. But that was more symbolic of a recognition of reality rather than a change of course in Berlin's China policies. Europe put the issue on ice after China last year passed an anti-secession law that would legalize the use of force against Taiwan if it declared its independence. Lifting the weapons ban against a country that is threatening a small island with war would be unpalatable for an already critical European public. In order to show his political weight, Steinmeier instead focused on an issue that is currently occupying Germany: The theft of technology and intellectual property by China that is making German exporters increasingly nervous. When China announced last week that it is developing its own version of the Transrapid train , it only served to further agitate the situation, despite the fact that nobody has even seen the Chinese model yet.

Steinmeier pointed out again and again to his Chinese hosts that the economy can only function when laws and patents are respected. One participant at the meeting described the criticism he gave to Prime Minister Wen as being "blunt to the point of being impolite." The Chinese position on copyright and protection of intellectual property "has to be discussed," Steinmeier said.

He is thought to have come up with the idea of making the country's notorious copying and product piracy the subject of future "strategic dialogue" between top-ranking Chinese and German diplomats. This forum would also discuss the growing competition for scarce energy sources .

Berlin is critical of China's pragmatic foreign policy: In order to ensure oil and gas supplies, Beijing has no scruples about maintaining ties with dictators such as those of Sudan or Burma. And even in official circles there are doubts as to whether the Chinese will be persuaded to change tack and submit to an international "code of conduct" when it comes to the search for energy sources, as Steinmeier has apparently proposed.

In Beijing, Steinmeier also broached the subject of "human rights and civil liberties," but criticized China's censorship of the Internet. "I hope that my warnings are listened to," he told the press. At the same time he referred to the German-Chinese rule of law dialogue, in which lawyers and politicians from both countries share their experiences. Under the dialogue, a cornerstone of German-Chinese foreign relations, Germany provides assistance for Chinese reforms aimed at implementing rule of law and human rights.