On Feb. 25, the first of his two-day visit to China, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with the Chinese President and Prime Minister. During a meeting with President Xi Jinping, Merz called for the further development of German-Chinese relations. “We are two of the three largest industrial nations in the world. That is a great responsibility, but it is also a great opportunity.” The two countries have had good bilateral relations for decades, “and I would like to build on that,” Merz added.
Xi said he greatly values the relationship with Germany. He said he is ready to work with the chancellor to take the “comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Germany” to a “new level.”
Merz had previously met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. He and Merz agreed to establish a joint government commission to hold regular consultations on economic and political issues.
“We have very specific concerns regarding our cooperation, which we want to improve and make fairer,” Merz said. For his part, Li stressed the point of working with Germany to protect multilateralism and free trade in light of the tariff dispute initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump. “China and Germany, as two of the world’s largest economies and important countries with great influence, should strengthen our confidence in cooperation, jointly protect multilateralism and free trade, and work to build a more equitable and fair global governance system,” Li said.
