German President begins six-day state visit to China amid trade tensions

On Monday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier landed in China to start a six-day state visit, the first of its kind for a German head of state since 2018. His itinerary includes a provincial stop in Anhui, tours of technology and scientific institutions, and culminates in Beijing for meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang amid ongoing commercial disputes. Steinmeier travels with a delegation from the Bundestag and leaders from Germany’s business, cultural and research communities.

Simultaneously, Chancellor Friedrich Merz is touring Singapore, South Korea and Japan to forge deeper economic and defence partnerships and to articulate a coordinated European response to perceived unfair Chinese subsidies. The German government has recently blocked a Chinese state-owned firm’s purchase of a majority stake in logistics company Zippel, citing supply-chain security, and is working with France on measures to counter trade imbalances with China.