German President Steinmeier targets China trip as Berlin sharpens trade stance
Quick Look
- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is planning a visit to China in the coming weeks, marking his first official trip since 2018, as Berlin adopts a harder trade stance toward China amid concerns over manufacturing competition.
- The visit coincides with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Asia tour and follows a joint paper by Merz and French President Macron proposing a new EU mechanism to exclude rule-breaking trade partners from the single market.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Germany has recently adopted a harder trade stance toward China due to fears that Chinese competition could hollow out its manufacturing sector. Steinmeier’s planned visit would be his first to China since 2018, and his presidency ends in March 2027.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is planning to visit China in the coming weeks, even as relations between the two countries sour over trade, according to multiple sources familiar with the arrangement.
It will mark the first official visit to China since 2018 for Steinmeier, a former foreign minister whose decade-long tenure as president ends in March 2027. The visit will coincide with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s trips to Japan and South Korea before the end of October.
Germany’s president is the head of state, while political power sits primarily with the chancellor and government, making Steinmeier’s a largely ceremonial role. The president does, however, represent Germany abroad.
The trip will be watched closely for signs of further cracks in the Sino-German relationship. Berlin has pivoted dramatically in recent weeks towards a more hardline approach to China on trade amid fears that its manufacturing heartlands will be hollowed out by intense Chinese competition.
On Monday, the South China Morning Post reported that Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron had co-signed a paper calling for a new trade weapon that could see China or other trading partners deemed to be flouting the rules excluded from the giant EU single market, almost immediately.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Steinmeier will visit China in the coming weeks
Very likely · Within weeks
The EU will advance discussions on a new trade exclusion mechanism
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What specific topics will Steinmeier discuss during his China visit?
- How will China respond to the proposed EU trade exclusion mechanism?
- What are the exact details of the trade weapon proposed by Merz and Macron?
