US EditionGermany’s Merz Eyes Business Opportunities at Chinese Tech Hub in Hangzhou
Merz aims to address Germany's €89 billion trade deficit with China and secure contracts including 120 Airbus aircraft to enhance economic cooperation.
- On Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Hangzhou, China on the second day of his first official trip to China, leading a delegation of business leaders after traveling from Beijing.
- Amid recent months, Merz sought to address challenges in the relationship, most notably tackling Germany's trade deficit with China last year.
- In a Wednesday meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Merz pressed for fairer cooperation and asked Beijing to use its influence with Russia to help end the war in Ukraine, saying `We know that signals from Beijing are taken very seriously in Moscow`.
- Deals and pledges emerged from Merz's meetings with Chinese leaders as China agreed to buy up to 120 Airbus aircraft, and a joint statement backed ceasefire efforts and market access.
- The tech hub Hangzhou hosts AI company DeepSeek and e-commerce platform Alibaba, and Merz tested a self-driving vehicle at a Mercedes plant with Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes executives.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Practical cooperation and outlook for China-Germany relations
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's first visit to China since taking office featured high-level meetings in Beijing and visits to enterprises and industry matchmaking events in Hangzhou. The outcomes provide a clearer framework for bilateral cooperation and contribute to the stability of China–EU relations.
The trip of Chancellor Merz and his delegation takes them to the tech metropolis of Hangzhou. It becomes clear: German companies see advantages there. Not only in production, but also in the development of modern technologies. But at what costs?
Merz moved to the capital of the eastern province of Zhejiang after a morning in Pequim, where he visited the Prohibited City and facilities of Mercedes-Benz, before he met Aliba headquarters.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz completes his two-day start-up visit to China.
During his official visit to China, the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, visited Hangzhou on Thursday. carried by DeepSeek's rise and the legacy of Alibaba, industrialists, family investors and young engineers form a virtuous ecosystem.
In view of the trip to China by Chancellor Merz, the CDU foreign politician Röttgen called for the dismantling of German dependencies. De-Risking urgently needs to be faced with China, otherwise Germany cannot sufficiently represent its own interests.
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- 43% of the sources lean Left, 43% of the sources lean Right
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