German Chancellor Merz visits China to discuss trade and cooperation

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz traveled to China for his first official visit. He met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and toured technology companies in Beijing and Hangzhou. Merz was accompanied by a large delegation of German business leaders.

During the talks, both leaders emphasized a desire to strengthen economic ties and cooperation, with Xi calling for relations to be raised to a "new level." Merz, however, also raised concerns about trade imbalances and called for "fair competition." He reportedly asked China to use its influence to help end the war in Ukraine.

The visit concluded with Merz stating challenges remained but that there was "great potential" in the relationship. Chinese officials described the trip as yielding positive results and injecting fresh momentum into ties.