Germany’s Merz hails China ties as he seeks reset with Beijing

BEIJING: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for partnership and dialogue with China on a visit to Beijing on Wednesday (Feb 25) aimed at resetting relations that have been clouded by a yawning trade deficit with the world’s second-largest economy.

On his first visit to China as chancellor, Merz, who was accompanied by a large business delegation, told President Xi Jinping that he wanted to deepen what he called the “comprehensive strategic partnership” with China, Germany’s largest trading partner last year.

Xi welcomed the comments from Merz, who faces a tough balancing act of redefining an economic relationship that has been increasingly unfavourable to Germany, but which remains central to its core industrial interests.

“The more turbulent and intertwined the world becomes, the more China and Germany need to strengthen strategic communication and enhance strategic mutual trust,” he said.

The German chancellor’s visit, following visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, came as European leaders have looked to shore up their relationships with China following the widening rift with the Trump administration in Washington.

It underlined the vital importance of China’s huge consumer market and the technical sophistication of its all-conquering manufacturers for Germany’s weakened economy, still emerging from two years of recession.

But it came against a background of gathering unease by German business, which has been increasingly concerned with “derisking” strategies aimed at reducing strategic dependence.