Friedrich Merz heads to China for high stakes talks in an effort to reset strained trade relations

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to visit China from February 24 to 27, 2026. This marks his first official trip to Beijing and is widely observed as a high-stakes strategic balancing act. The four-day visit's primary objective is to focus on maintaining competition and the right balance of cooperation. The Chancellor, who took office in May, announced his trip to China while speaking at the CDU party congress in Stuttgart.

In this connection, Merz wrote on X, adding that he is looking forward to traveling to China soon: “May the Year of the Horse bring strength and give new impetus to German Chinese relations.”

He further explained that the need of the hour is to maintain economic relations with the entire world and that includes China. On Wednesday, Friedrich Merz will be received in Beijing by Premier Li Qiang and will then meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The two-day high-stakes visit will focus on competition and the right balance of cooperation between the two countries.

The German chancellor will visit Beijing’s Forbidden City and the German car company Mercedes-Benz factory. He will then travel to Hangzhou to visit Chinese robotics firm Unitree and German turbine-maker Siemens Energy.

China regained its position as Germany’s largest single trading partner last year with exports and imports totaling €251.8 billion, according to data released by Germany’s Federal Statistical Office remarks on Friday. China had previously held the title from 2016 to 2023 but was displaced in 2024 by the United States. However, this trade with China grew last year, trade with the US dropped to €240.5 billion.

In his speech, Merz also observed that the traditional rules-based international system no longer exists but is being replaced by a rapidly growing international order dominated by prominent powers. He is fully committed to bolstering Europe's economic and military capabilities in order to maintain new trade partnerships globally.