German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for a “reset” of his country’s ties with China after a meeting Wednesday with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
Merz and his delegation landed in Beijing this week for an official agenda that included meetings with the Chinese dictator and with Premier Li Qiang. Before departing to China earlier this week, the German Chancellor reportedly said that Germany wants “a partnership with China that is balanced, reliable, regulated and fair.”
Merz met with Premier Li shortly after arriving and, hours later, he met with Xi on Wednesday. According to Reuters, Merz and Li signed five narrow, peripheral agreements on climate change and “green transition,” animal disease prevention cooperation, poultry product protocols, and football and sports agreements.
“Great opportunities – great responsibility. President Xi Jinping and I want to further develop the German-Chinese partnership. That’s what I’m doing: with an open eye on the challenges in international trade and in close coordination with our European partners,” Merz wrote on social media after his meeting with Xi.
Speaking to the press in Beijing after the meeting, Merz reaffirmed his “commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership with China,” and asserted that “trade between two of the world’s three largest economies has great potential.”
According to the German Chancellor, he and Xi discussed promoting “fair, transparent competition” and “compliance with jointly established rules,” with Merz emphasizing the trade imbalance between Germany and China.
“I would like to return to the trade deficit. The deficit between Germany and China currently stands at over 80 billion euros. It has quadrupled since 2020, i.e. within five years. This dynamic is not healthy. We are therefore addressing it and want to find ways to reduce this trade deficit at our expense,” Merz told the press.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) attends a dinner next to Xi Jinping, President of China, at the State Guest House, accompanied by interpreters. This is Merz’s first visit to China as Federal Chancellor. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Merz also called upon the Chinese to “use their influence” to end the war in Ukraine and emphasized Germany’s “commitment to the One China policy” which falsely claims the sovereign nation of Taiwan is a province of China.
Merz asserted to the Chinese that “any efforts toward reunification or unification between China and Taiwan can only be achieved by peaceful means and not by military force.”
“I would like to expressly welcome China’s commitment to peace in the region, which I heard today. I hope that we can continue to work together on this basis. We are seeking this cooperation in our diplomatic efforts for peace,” the German Chancellor said. “We are also seeking it in our practical work, for example by not supplying Russia with dual-use goods that it could use against the people of Ukraine.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry, for its part, said in an official statement that Xi proposed three positions to further develop China-Germany relations.
According to Xi, both countries should be “reliable partners that support each other,” be “innovate partners that champion openness and win-win results,” and that both countries should be “partners that understand each other and share close bonds through cultural and people-to-people exchanges”
“The two leaders exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. President Xi expounded on China’s principled position, and pointed out that the key to finding a solution lies in consistent dialogue and negotiation,” The Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
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