BEIJING, Feb 25: Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater communication in order to facilitate stronger trust building between China and Germany during his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Beijing on Wednesday.
Welcoming Merz on his first visit to China since he assumed office in May last year, Xi spoke on a range of subjects ranging from the tumultuous global landscape, to increasing bilateral trade and ties.
Regarding the international landscape, Xi said that the world was undergoing a time of turbulence and intertwined crises, and called the present day as one which was marked by changes “unseen in a century.”
“The more turbulent and complex the world becomes, the more China and Germany need to strengthen strategic communication and enhance strategic mutual trust,” Xi said, adding that he hoped to take bilateral ties to “new levels”.
Stressing that he “always attached great importance to ties between Beijing and Berlin,” the Chinese leader expressed a readiness to work with Merz in order to “continuously advance the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Germany to new levels.”
Merz’s trip comes at a particularly sensitive time, as Germany, much like other European nations is witnessing one of the most bizarre moments in transatlantic and European diplomacy, amid the deteriorating bilateral relations with the US, reports South China Morning Post.
Amid US President Donald Trump’s pursuit of a more assertive and combative foreign and trade policy, which includes renewed tariff threats, and the highly controversial policy to annex Greenland, transatlantic relations have plummeted to an all-time low, with European capitals now increasingly recalibrating, both their approach to security, as well as their relations China.
Changing the trajectory of diplomatic relations to a more positive position, leaders from several European nations including the UK, Finland, and Ireland travelled to Beijing this year, while French President Emmanuel Macron and Spain’s King Felipe visited the country late last year.
Earlier on Wednesday, Merz held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, emphasising Germany’s interest in maintaining close economic ties with China, which was its largest trading partner last year, while simultaneously pointing to areas of concern.
“We have very specific concerns regarding our cooperation, which we want to improve and make fair,” Merz said, underscoring Berlin’s push for more balanced trade relations and clearer market access.
Bilateral trade between the two countries reached 251.8 billion (around US$297 billion) last year, a rise of roughly 2% compared to 2025, according to Germany’s Federal Statistical Office.
However, this increase is also marked by an increasing imbalance, as China enjoys a massive trade surplus in its dealing with Germany, which have only continued to widen, with German imports from China totalling 170.6 billion, while its exports stood at a mere 81.3 billion.
Li, in turn, urged both countries to safeguard multilateralism and free trade – remarks widely interpreted as an implicit reference to Washington’s increasingly protectionist stance.
“China and Germany should strengthen our confidence in cooperation, jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade,” he said.
The two sides signed agreements covering areas including climate change and food security, signalling a willingness to broaden cooperation beyond trade alone.
Merz was accompanied by a high-level business delegation during his trip to Beining, featuring senior executives from around 30 major German companies spanning the automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical, recycling and machinery sectors.
The visit forms part of Berlin’s efforts to sustain economic engagement with China while reducing strategic vulnerabilities.
During his stay in Beijing, Merz is scheduled to tour the Forbidden City and visit Mercedes-Benz facilities before travelling to Hangzhou, a major eastern technology hub. There, he will visit robotics firm Unitree Robotics and the German energy technology company Siemens Energy. Furthermore, he is also due to attend a meeting of the Consultative Committee on German-Chinese Business, a forum bringing together senior officials and corporate leaders from both countries.
While emphasising the importance of global economic links, Merz has repeatedly cautioned against strategic naivety.
Earlier this month, addressing members of his Christian Democratic Union, he said export-dependent Germany needed “economic relations all over the world” – including with China – but warned that Beijing pursued its own global ambitions and political model.
“China today sees itself in stark contrast to the United States and claims the right to define a new multilateral order according to its own rules,” he said, adding that Germany must improve its competitiveness to close what he described as a widening “growth gap” with China.
At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, Merz argued that China had laid the groundwork to shape global affairs “with strategic patience” which could eventually enable it to match the US militarily.
He also said Beijing was “systematically exploiting the dependencies of others” and reinterpreting the international order on its own terms.
For Beijing, Germany remains a pivotal European partner at a time when EU-China relations are under strain.
During a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich conference, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed hope that Germany would act as a “stabilising anchor” in China-Europe relations.
Merz’s visit follows a December trip by Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who urged Chinese officials to use their influence to help end the war in Ukraine.
(UNI)
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