German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Beijing on February 25 for his first official visit to China since taking office, accompanied by executives from Volkswagen, Siemens, Adidas, BMW, and DHL. Merz is expected to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to discuss bilateral trade, economic cooperation, and global issues including trade imbalances and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. China remains Germany's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching 251.8 billion euros ($272 billion) in 2025. The visit comes as Germany reassesses its global economic strategy amid rising U.S. tariffs.

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