Germany’s Merz arrives in China for two-day visit with focus on trade

Chancellor says he wants to deepen trade relationship while making it fairer during visit that sees signing of several agreements.Published On 25 Feb 2026German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has kicked off his inaugural visit to China with a focus on resetting trade relations and deepening cooperation.Speaking in Beijing on Wednesday, Merz told Chinese Premier Li Qiang that Germany sought to build on the decades-old economic ties with China, while emphasising the need to ensure fair cooperation and open communication.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Can Europe break with Trump? A tale of energy, defence, economic dependencelist 2 of 4China pitches itself as a reliable partner as Trump alienates US allieslist 3 of 4Why is the UK’s Keir Starmer in China and what does he want to achieve?list 4 of 4Calculated hypocrisy: Why Western powers court Beijing but rely on USend of list“We have very specific concerns regarding our ⁠cooperation, which we want to improve and make fair,” said Merz, in an acknowledgement of the strain faced by Germany’s manufacturing sector from Chinese competition.Li, who met Merz shortly after his arrival in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, called on both sides to work together to safeguard multilateralism and free trade, in a reference to US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy that has upended the global trading system.“China and Germany, as two of the world’s largest economies and major countries with important ‌influence, should strengthen our confidence in cooperation, jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, and strive to build a more just and fair global governance system,” Li said.During the meeting, representatives from both sides signed several agreements and memorandums, including on climate change and food security.“We share responsibility in the world, and we should live up to that responsibility together,” Merz said, adding there was “great potential for further growth”.He added that open channels of communication were essential, as he announced visits by several ministers in the months ahead.