Germany news: Union slams Audi CEO for joining Trump at campaign rally, while Chancellor Merz and President Steinmeier embark on separate Asia tours

Germany's IG Metall union chief calls Audi CEO Gernot Döllner's appearance alongside Donald Trump "deeply embarrassing"

The union says Döllner breached Audi's political neutrality rules

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is visiting Singapore, Japan and South Korea

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is heading to China

Here is a roundup of top stories from and about Germany on Monday, October 26, 2026:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier are departing on separate Asian tours to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.

Merz will visit Singapore, Japan and South Korea on his longest overseas trip since taking office, accompanied by a high-level business delegation. He is seeking to broaden Germany's partnerships and reduce dependence on individual countries.

In Singapore, he will hold political talks and deliver a major foreign policy speech before traveling to Japan. In South Korea, he will attend an Asia-Pacific business conference and visit the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.

Steinmeier will make his second state visit to China, pressing for fairer trade relations and action to address economic imbalances, according to his office.

He is expected to speak at Peking University on Thursday and meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Friday.

Steinmeier also wants China to take greater international responsibility, including using its close ties with Moscow to help end Russia's war against Ukraine.

Düsseldorf bookstore 'a little piece of Japan' in Germany

Germany's IG Metall union chief Christiane Benner has sharply criticized Audi CEO Gernot Döllner for appearing onstage at a campaign rally with US President Donald Trump.

Benner called the appearance "deeply embarrassing, politically unacceptable" and unworthy of Audi and its employees. She also accused Döllner of breaching the company's political neutrality rules.

Audi's code of conduct, published in April and signed by Döllner, bars public appearances with parties or politicians standing for election, and sponsorship of their events, during the three months before a vote.

Trump announced plans for an Audi factory in Georgia at Saturday's rally, with Döllner alongside him. The plant would produce around 200,000 vehicles annually, mainly large SUVs.

Benner stressed that the project still required approval, with the final decision "rightly and importantly" resting with Volkswagen's supervisory board, "with the full picture in mind."

She said employee representatives wanted safeguards for German sites alongside a clear North American strategy for Volkswagen and Audi. While acknowledging the US market's importance, she said IG Metall's priority was employment prospects in Germany.

Merz says he would not advise young people to move to US

Guten Tag from DW's newsroom in Bonn.

You join us as the boss of carmaker Audi faces serious criticism back home after sharing a stage with US President Donald Trump.

Gernot Döllner appeared alongside Trump at a campaign rally in Georgia on Saturday, where the president announced plans for a new $4 billion (€3.4 billion) Audi factory in the state.

And Germany's powerful IG Metall union is far from impressed.

Meanwhile, Germany's two most senior political figures are heading east to Asia — but they're taking very different routes.

Stay with us here for these stories and more of what Germany is talking about today.