German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit China as Germany worries about rising Chinese competition and Beijing’s stance on Ukraine. Merz arrives in Beijing on Wednesday for a two-day trip. He meets Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping. He also plans to travel Thursday to a Mercedes-Benz site and then to the city of Hangzhou.
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Understanding risks, symptoms and how to save yourselfGalápagos park releases 158 juvenile hybrid tortoises on Floreana to restore the ecosystemFDA proposes new system for approving customized drugs and therapies for rare diseasesWomen suffer heart attacks too. Understanding risks, symptoms and how to save yourselfSocial media companies face legal reckoning over mental health harms to childrenBuddhist monks rally in Sri Lanka to pressure the government for a wider role in affairs of stateCinco países europeos invertirán millones para usar tecnología ucraniana en defensa antidronesWorld NewsGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as they meet during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, second from left, attends a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at the Rhineland-Palatinate CDU’s Political Ash Wednesday, in Trier, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as they meet during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, right, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as they meet during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, second from left, attends a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, second from left, attends a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at the Rhineland-Palatinate CDU’s Political Ash Wednesday, in Trier, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks at the Rhineland-Palatinate CDU’s Political Ash Wednesday, in Trier, Germany, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. comes as his country’s manufacturers face increasing pressure from Chinese competitors and as U.S. President Donald Trump shakes up a post-World War II global order that Europe has long depended on.Besides Germany’s growing trade deficit with China, Merz is expected to raise Chinese backing for Russia’s position in theChina is seeking support from other nations to push back against Trump’s challenges to international rules and organizations, but Merz has signaled wariness about China’s view of a 21st century order. Success may be measured by finding small ways to cooperate despite differences on major issues. “As the world’s second and third largest economies, sound China–Germany relations serve the interests of both sides and meet the expectations of the international community,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Tuesday. She added that “the Ukraine crisis is not and should not become an issue between China and Europe.” China says it has “an objective and impartial position,” which puts it at odds with Germany and much of Europe.means foreign leaders must travel to Beijing if they want to meet him. On Thursday, the German chancellor plans to visit a Mercedes-Benz facility and travel to Hangzhou, a high-tech city that is home to e-commerce giant He is bringing a delegation of business leaders looking to expand sales. China has long been an important market for Germany, a major exporter of manufactured goods. But advances by Chinese companies in recent years have turned them into formidable competitors, notably in the automobile industry, where new electric vehicle makers are Last year’s foreign trade figures underlined concern over the imbalance in economic ties. German imports from China rose 8.8% to 170.6 billion euros , helping Chinese manufacturers offset a decline in U.S. imports because of Trump’s tariffs. Meanwhile, German exports to China fell 9.7% to 81.3 billion euros. The growing imbalance has stepped up longstanding German demands that China reduce its trade barriers and open its markets further to foreign competitors.to the German parliament in January, Merz said Europe needs to “learn the language of power politics” to assert itself in a changing world and become stronger economically and militarily. The emerging world order also opens opportunities for Europe, he said, as democracies with open and growing markets “seek what we have to offer them, namely partnerships on the basis of mutual respect, trust and reliability.” He also said recently that Germany should have no illusions about China, which he said “asserts the claim to define a new multilateral order according to its own rules.” Shortly after this week’s China trip, Merz plans to make his second visit to Washington since taking office in May.— seek to repair ties with China, Germany’s goal is to maintain a relationship that has become more complicated in recent years. Germany still recognizes China as a vital economic partner but now also sees it as a competitor. The government, in what has become known as de-risking, has sought to reduce the country’s dependence on China as an export market and for strategic products such as rare earths, which are widely used in the automotive, tech and defense industries. On a visit to Beijing in December, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul discussed his government’s concerns over Chinese government subsidies to targeted industries, the manufacturing overcapacity that has boosted exports, restrictions on the export of rare earths and the Russia-Ukraine war.Moritsugu covers political, economic and social issues from Beijing for The Associated Press. He has also reported from New Delhi, Bangkok and Tokyo and is the AP’s former news director for Greater China and for Japan and the Koreas.
Donald Trump Xi Jinping Friedrich Merz China Government Germany Ukraine Beijing Europe General News Asia Pacific Government Policy Politics Metals And Mining International Trade World News Volkswagen AG Russia Ukraine War Johann Wadephul Alibaba Group Holding Ltd Auto Industry Emmanuel Macron Economic Policy Ukraine Government World News
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