Media: Chancellor Merz faces early foreign policy setback as China blocks Germany talks

The abrupt cancellation of German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s planned visit to China has emerged as a significant foreign policy setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration.

Merz has been leading the German government for nearly six months, yet he has not made a formal visit to China since assuming office, Caliber.Az reports, citing German Die Welt.

The newspaper notes that “days had been reserved in the chancellor’s office calendar next week” for a potential trip by Merz to China and India.

“However, according to rumors, [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping did not find time during these days to receive Merz,” the article reports.

Die Welt suggests that both Merz and Wadephul now face challenging times. “Not only the automotive industry will make the chancellor clearly understand that the last thing it needs right now is a quarrel with China,” the paper writes, emphasizing the potential economic and political repercussions of strained Sino-German relations.

The newspaper also highlights the domestic political dimension, noting that critics within the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the CDU/CSU bloc may question Merz’s leadership, particularly in comparison with his predecessors, Olaf Scholz and Angela Merkel, who pursued markedly different strategies toward Beijing.

On October 24, Wadephul officially postponed his visit, which had been scheduled in the coming days. The Foreign Ministry stated that “the Chinese side was unable to confirm any meetings beyond a session with China’s foreign minister,” leaving the trip in uncertainty.

By Vafa Guliyeva