German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has wrapped up his first official visit to China. From a major Airbus deal to conversations about Ukraine, Taiwan and Europe’s growing trade imbalance, here’s a look at the issues raised in Beijing.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, hoping to bolster ties with his country's largest trade partner and high-tech rival as Europe's biggest economy struggles.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping centred on trade between the top EU economy and the Asian giant, Berlin said.
China has reclaimed its title as Germany's top trading partner, dethroning the United States after President Donald Trump launched his tariff onslaught, official data showed Wednesday.
Germany has blocked a complete Chinese takeover of a satellite startup on national security grounds, sources close to the matter told AFP Thursday, as Berlin takes an increasingly hard line against Beijing.
Germany's tougher new approach to managing its relationship with China would increase "man-made risks" and "exacerbate divisions" in the world, Beijing said Friday.
Germany published a new policy to contend with a more "assertive" China Thursday, after months of fractious debate on an effective strategy toward Berlin's top trade partner.
Duisburg once touted itself as
Germany's "China city" due to strong links to the Asian giant, but it is now desperately seeking an image makeover as geopolitical tensions upend bilateral ties.
Germany's president Monday urged Beijing and
Washington to boost dialogue, as he hosted Premier Li Qiang at a time when China's policies on Russia, trade and human rights are receiving an increasingly hostile reception in the West.
Germany on Wednesday called China a "partner, competitor and systemic rival" in its first national security strategy,
accusing Beijing of repeatedly acting against the European giant's interests in a bid to reshape the global order.
The German government said Wednesday that it would allow a Chinese firm to buy a stake in a Hamburg port, after the terminal was classed as critical infrastructure.
China and Germany traded barbs Tuesday over Ukraine, with Beijing warning the EU against sanctions targeting its companies while Berlin said "neutrality" in the conflict meant taking Russia's side.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Beijing Friday to ask "the Russian aggressor to stop the war" in Ukraine, saying "no other country has more influence on Russia than China".
Europe is united in its policy towards Beijing, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in China on Thursday after controversial comments by French President Emmanuel Macron raised hackles among some Western allies.
Germany is reassessing whether to allow a Chinese firm to buy a stake in a Hamburg port, the economy ministry said Wednesday, after the terminal was classed as critical infrastructure.
German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger will travel to Taiwan next week, Berlin said Friday, as the first cabinet member to visit in 26 years - a move set to spark tensions with China.
China was Germany's biggest
trading partner in 2022 for the seventh year in a row, figures published Thursday showed, as policymakers worry about economic over-reliance on Beijing.
Germany currently sees no need to impose routine tests on arrivals from China, but is seeking a coordinated system to monitor variants across European airports, said health minister Karl Lauterbach on Friday.
After years of following a strict 'no Covid' policy, China is in the grip of a massive - and deadly - Covid wave. Now German politicians are calling for a ban on travel between the two countries. Will it happen?
China has set up at least two "police stations" in Germany, authorities have confirmed, sparking fresh concern about the overseas centres that critics say are used to harass dissidents.
Germany will limit guarantees for companies doing business in China as it looks to reduce its dependence on Beijing, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Tuesday.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday defended a controversial trip to China as "worth it" due to an agreement to oppose the use of nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Beijing Friday seeking to bolster a vital economic relationship but facing criticism about his country's heavy reliance on a nation growing more authoritarian under Xi Jinping.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged on Wednesday not to ignore "controversies" during a high-stakes trip to China this week, which has sparked a storm of criticism.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz makes a high-stakes trip to China this week, walking a tightrope between shoring up a key economic relationship and facing heightened concerns about over-reliance on authoritarian Beijing.
