Overview
- Merz met Xi Jinping and Li Qiang in Beijing with a business delegation of roughly 30 executives, seeking to reset ties he described as close yet risky.
- The meetings yielded five targeted agreements on climate cooperation, animal disease prevention, a poultry trade protocol and sports exchanges, not sweeping market openings.
- He said he asked Chinese leaders to use their influence to help bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to a swift conclusion.
- Germany’s deficit with China reached about €90 billion in 2025, with industry citing subsidies, overcapacity and an undervalued yuan as the EU tightens defenses, including tariffs on Chinese EVs.
- China placed an order for 120 Airbus aircraft, while rare‑earth export controls and supply vulnerabilities kept de‑risking a priority for Berlin.