German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sets to visit China for first time
發佈日期: 2026-02-25 00:18
TVB News
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit China tomorrow for a two-day trip, his first since taking office. He will be accompanied by a delegation of around 30 corporate executives. According to the German Chamber of Commerce, many German companies hope to seize opportunities in the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan.
This German restaurant has been welcoming diners in Beijing for over two decades. Beyond the capital, it has also expanded to Shanghai, as well as Taicang, a county in Jiangsu province which is home to many German manufacturers. The restaurant manager hopes the German Chancellor's first China visit will bring some good news regarding food sourcing.
SEBASTIAN, Restaurant Manager: "What we get for ingredients or something, sometimes we need it to be easier, you get, especially import, export things, you know. I hope the cost is not so high anymore."
China has overtaken the United States to become Germany's largest trading partner for 2 consecutive years, with bilateral trade volume exceeding 250 billion euros last year. According to the German Chamber of Commerce in North China, there are about 5,000 German companies operating in China. Many of them hope to be early movers in seizing opportunities during the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan.
OLIVER, Executive Director, German Chamber of Commerce in North China: "Everyone acknowledges that China has been excelling and progressing very quickly in developing emerging technologies, be it artificial intelligence, robotics, but also smart manufacturing. We believe that there's potential for German companies to team up with their Chinese peers. So we believe that we are entering a new phase of cooperation, cooperation at a high level."
Following the leaders of UK, France, Ireland, and Finland, Merz is the latest European leader to visit China.
Wang Yiwei, Director of Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, said that this reflects Europe's desire to reduce its dependence on the US. He also noted that Germany, as a major European economic and technological power, has significant potential to work with China in setting standards across various technology sectors, including electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.
According to German media, the German Chancellor will be accompanied by a delegation of around 30 companies, including pharmaceutical and automotive firms. They will then head to Hangzhou to visit technologies companies.
