German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) might claim he called Chinese President Xi Jinping to ask for help in implementing a ceasefire in Ukraine, as a narrative to feed his domestic audience and a cover for his 180-degree turn on China policy. Hard reality, and pressures from “Germany Inc.,” are apparently pushing him to dump the “derisking” policies he had embraced so far. Previous to his call on May 23, in fact, 30 German corporate CEOs have sent him a letter, warning among other things: “To remain relevant in the Chinese market, we need more commitment, not less,” and that the strategy of “de-risking” should not lead to “a reduction in our involvement in China.”
Trump’s threat to implement a 50% trade tariff has helped.
According to Merz’s spokesman, Merz and Xi spoke of their readiness to “work together in partnership to tackle global challenges.” According to Xinhua, Merz called for expanding economic relations, saying that “under the current international situation, as the world’s two major economies, cooperation between Germany and China is particularly significant.” Merz even said that his government adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to promote greater development of the strategic partnership between the two countries in a constructive and pragmatic spirit.
“The German side looks forward to strengthening exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields, adhering to openness and mutual benefit, promoting fair trade, maintaining world peace, and jointly addressing global challenges such as climate change,” according to Xinhua.
As for Xi, he said Friday that “China is ready to work with Germany to open a new chapter in their all-round strategic partnership, to steer China-EU relations toward new progress and to make new contributions to the stable growth of the world economy.”
The day before, Xi had spoken with French President Macron.
