German chancellor to visit China this week

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will make an official visit to China from February 25 to 26, according to a statement on the German Foreign Ministry’s website.

"At the invitation of Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will pay an official visit to China from February 25 to 26," Caliber.Az cites the statement.

The visit aims to strengthen economic dialogue between Germany and China, Germany’s second-largest trading partner. 

Key topics include trade balance, market access, and competition in strategic sectors.

Merz will become the third prominent Western leader to travel to China this year, following recent visits by the prime ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom. Those trips, the first in several years, were viewed as efforts to stabilise ties with Beijing after a period of political strain and economic recalibration between China and Western capitals.

Earlier this month, Merz held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the Munich Security Conference, a key global forum on transatlantic security and foreign policy. He also spoke by phone with President Xi Jinping in May, underscoring continued communication between Berlin and Beijing at the highest level.

By Khagan Isayev