Merz Commits to Stronger China Ties on First Visit as Leader

Xi Jinping, right, welcomes Friedrich Merz at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, on Feb. 25. — Xi Jinping, right, welcomes Friedrich Merz at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, on Feb. 25.
Photographer: Michael Kappeler/AFP/Getty Images

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By Arne Delfs

February 26, 2026 at 9:27 AM UTC

Updated on

February 26, 2026 at 11:20 AM UTC

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he’ll push ahead with a new effort to strengthen Sino-German ties while highlighting the need to address “high capacities” in China that “far exceed market demand” and are problematic for Europe.

Speaking in tech hub Hangzhou at the end of a two-day visit, Merz also said he’d tried to press Chinese President Xi Jinping in talks Wednesday in Beijing to use his influence over President Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.