Reuters: Germany’s Merz to visit China with business delegation later this year

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to make his first official visit to China later this year, accompanied by a high-level delegation of business executives, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The anticipated trip underscores Berlin’s efforts to stabilise ties with Beijing, even as geopolitical tensions with Washington over tariffs and security mount.

The visit, tentatively scheduled for October, remains unfinalised, with details still subject to change. However, its symbolic significance is already being weighed by both sides, given the economic and diplomatic weight carried by the head of Europe’s largest economy and one of China’s top trading partners.

According to the source, “Chinese companies hope to invest more in Germany and Merz's visit could be used to repair relations after earlier tensions with Berlin.”

A spokesperson for the German chancellery declined to comment, while the Chinese foreign ministry has not yet responded to Reuters’ request for clarification.

Merz’s potential trip follows Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Berlin earlier this month, part of a broader European tour aimed at laying the groundwork for an upcoming summit between Chinese and European Union leaders. During that visit, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the two sides had discussed a range of pressing global issues, including “Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan and the crisis in the Middle East.”

China remains deeply embedded in the German economy, particularly through the automotive sector, where German carmakers are heavily dependent on Chinese consumers and supply chains. Nevertheless, bilateral relations were strained under Germany’s previous government. Then Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock took a confrontational stance on Beijing, labelling President Xi Jinping a “dictator” and describing China as a strategic “rival.”

Tensions have not entirely eased under Merz. On July 8, the German foreign ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador after accusing the Chinese military of having laser-targeted a German aircraft operating in the Red Sea—an incident that raised fresh concerns over Beijing’s assertiveness abroad.

While Merz has publicly taken a more hawkish tone on China than some of his predecessors, he has carefully avoided triggering a direct confrontation. Earlier this year, he highlighted concerns over “China's closeness to Russia” while pledging to gradually reduce “Germany's reliance on the world's second largest economy.”

In contrast, Chinese President Xi Jinping has struck a more conciliatory tone. During earlier communications with Merz, Xi urged the German leader “to deepen cooperation and jointly promote economic globalisation.”

By Vugar Khalilov