US EditionGermany wants deeper, fairer economic cooperation with China, Chancellor Merz tells Chinese premier Li
Merz aims to address Germany's €89 billion trade deficit with China and push for fair competition amid concerns of market access and subsidies, officials said.
- On Wednesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing to bolster bilateral ties, with Xi saying he was willing to take relations to new levels.
- Amid global fallout from U.S. tariffs, Berlin sought closer ties with China after it overtook the United States last year as Germany's biggest trade partner, with Merz following recent Western leaders courting Beijing.
- Traveling with a large business delegation, Merz met Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People where they signed agreements on climate and food security, and plans visits to Hangzhou's Unitree and a Mercedes plant on Thursday.
- He is expected to press Xi to urge Russia to end the war in Ukraine, with Wolfgang Niedermark saying, `We expect the chancellor to clearly address problems such as overcapacity, distortions of competition, and export controls on critical raw materials`.
- Germany's trade deficit with China hit a record 89 billion euros last year, and European companies warn that state-driven systemic competition risks new trade conflicts.
147 Articles
147 Articles
Merz in China: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was the next Western leader in a short time to visit Beijing. He wanted to express his concerns about China's…
Merz tours Forbidden City during key China trade discussions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz continued his first official visit to China with a tour of Beijing’s Forbidden City, as Berlin pushes for a more balanced trade relationship amid growing economic tensions.
Merz hails China ties as Berlin seeks reset with Beijing
BEIJING: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz won a pledge by China to import more high-quality goods from Germany on Wednesday, as he visited Beijing aiming to reset 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 economic ties with China, German…
Germany’s chancellor walks a tightrope in Beijing
Germany’s chancellor called on China to correct the countries’ growing trade imbalance, as he walks a tightrope of strengthening diplomatic ties with Beijing while trying to manage its economic heft. Friedrich Merz arrived in Beijing on Wednesday with “an outstretched hand and a list of complaints,” The New York Times wrote: Berlin is concerned about what it sees as an undervalued yuan, unfair subsidies, and overcapacity from Chinese exporters. …
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