Chancellor Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz assumed office during May 2025. His career thus far has been quite extensive. He is a lawyer, political as well as lobbyist. Merz has served as the leader of the CDU or Christian Democratic Union party since 2022. It was after the CDU win during the February 2025 elections that Merz became chancellor. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to make his first visit to China towards the end of this year with a delegation of top business executives, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.
A chancellor with his eyes firmly set on his goals
The visit from the head of Europe’s biggest economy and one of China’s largest trading partners would be symbolically important in underpinning relations between the two, amid friction with the United States over trade tariffs. Chinese companies hope to invest more in Germany and Merz’s visit could be used to repair relations after earlier tensions with Berlin, the person, who has knowledge of the preparations, told Reuters.
The trip, which could come as soon as October, has yet to be finalized and details could change. A spokesperson for the German chancellery declined to comment. The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. It follows a visit to Berlin earlier this month by China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, on a European tour seeking to lay the groundwork for a summit between European Union and Chinese leaders later this month.
Uncovering the intricate balance between China and Germany
Wang Yi, a key figure in China’s foreign policy, is currently serving for his second time as Minister of Foreign Affairs. His second appointment came in July 2023. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the two foreign ministers had discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan and the crisis in the Middle East.
China and Germany are closely interwoven, not least by German carmakers’ dependence on China, the world’s biggest auto market, in making and buying their cars. Relations faltered under the previous German government, where then Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock repeatedly criticized Beijing, describing President Xi Jinping as a “dictator”, and China as a rival. Points of friction remain.
Germany summoned the Chinese ambassador to the foreign ministry on Tuesday after saying China’s military had laser targeted a German aircraft in the Red Sea. The Red Sea itself is quite a significant waterway. Especially when it comes to global trade. Another vitally important factor is its connection to the Suez Canal at its northern end. This helps to facilitate the trade between Asia and Europe.
A combined visit to the future?
Approximately 10% of the world’s trade passes through here annually. This includes large quantities of liquefied natural gas as well as oil. So far, Merz has also taken a tough public line on China, while avoiding a full-blown standoff. Earlier this year, he underscored worries about China’s closeness to Russia while pledging to reduce Germany’s reliance on the world’s second largest economy. Xi, meantime, called on Merz to deepen cooperation and jointly promote economic globalization.
Economic globalization has some distinct advantages. Think for a moment here about new business opportunities that may become available due to signed trade agreements. This is also a plus point on the investment side of things with more options becoming available. On a more technical note, it can lead to the facilitation of a knowledge exchange. Alliances and agreements between companies from different countries can lead to this knowledge exchange. To get a better understanding of how this works in practice, just think about international monetary transactions. These run through international payment platforms who are not dependent on a country specific bank.
GCN.com/REUTERS.
