Despite differences, Xi and Merz seek to deepen ties in turbulent times

President Xi Jinping meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing
[AP Photo]

There are many things that China and Germany do not see eye-to-eye on — notably Russia’s war in Ukraine — but the leaders of the world’s second and third largest economies nonetheless pledged Wednesday to work to deepen ties in an era of global turbulence.

Both countries have been buffeted by the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, who lauded his import tariffs in a State of the Union address delivered just hours before German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met separately with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing.

“The more turbulent and complex the world becomes, the more China and Germany should strengthen strategic communication and enhance strategic mutual trust,” Xi said at the government’s Diaoyutai state guesthouse, a leafy and sprawling property dotted with grand buildings.

He noted the year had not begun peacefully and said, as he has before, that the world is undergoing the most profound changes since the end of World War II.

Merz replied that although the two countries have issues and challenges to discuss, they should “emphasize the things we have in common and face the challenges we stand before together.”

Legitimate ‘concerns of all sides’

Merz, on his first trip to China since taking office last May, has championed building a stronger Europe both economically and militarily to assert itself in the shifting new world order.

Before departing for China on Tuesday, he stressed that for all the differences Europe has with China, “the big global political problems can no longer be tackled today without involving Beijing.”

The chancellor told reporters after his talks that he asked the Chinese leaders to use their influence to end the war in Ukraine.

“We know that signals from Beijing are taken very seriously in Moscow — that goes for words as well as deeds,” he said.

Many European governments have been frustrated that China hasn’t done more to pressure Russia to end the fighting. It has maintained trade and close diplomatic ties with Russia and said its position on the conflict is impartial and objective.

Xi told Merz that China supports a political solution to the conflict in Ukraine, but emphasized that it would have to “address the legitimate concerns of all sides,” and have “equal participation of all parties,” China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Pushing against Trump’s tariffs

Merz is the latest in a parade of world leaders to visit Beijing as China seeks support from other nations to push back against Trump’s use of tariffs to demand concessions from trading partners, and his challenges to the United Nations and the global order that has governed international and economic relations in the post-World War II era.

Merz has also emphasized the importance of placing Germany’s China policy in a European context, saying before his trip it was no coincidence that he is visiting not long after French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and ahead of a planned trip by Trump in early April.

“Our message from a European point of view is the same: We want a balanced, reliable, regulated and fair partnership with China,” Merz said. “This is our offer. At the same time, it is what we also hope for and expect from the Chinese side.”

Chinese export are threatening factory jobs in Europe. Germany’s imports from China rose 8.8% to 170.6 billion euros ($201 billion) last year, while its exports to China fell 9.7% to 81.3 billion euros.

European leaders want Chinese companies to build factories in their countries. They also want China to reduce manufacturing overcapacity that is driving down prices in industries such as electric vehicles and solar panels, and to remove barriers faced by foreign companies in what is the world’s second-largest economy.

Protectionism and economic coercion

Merz said late Wednesday after the meetings that he was satisfied with the talks, and underlined the potential for business deals — citing a plan for China to order up to 120 planes from European manufacturer Airbus.

However, he made clear that work still has to be done in further talks. He said Germany’s trade deficit with China “has quadrupled since 2020 … this dynamic is not healthy, so we are addressing it and want to open ways to cut this trade deficit.”

Xinhua said in a commentary that the two countries have a shared responsibility as major economies to oppose protectionism and economic coercion.

Merz’s two-day visit will took him yesterday to the high-tech hub of Hangzhou, where he visited Unitree Robotics, one of China’s leading developer of humanoid robots. His trip to China comes shortly before he makes his third visit to Washington as chancellor.  KEN MORITSUGU & GEIR MOULSON, BEIJING, MDT/AP