Overview
- Klingbeil begins talks in Beijing as part of the German–Chinese financial dialogue, with a mandate to address rule-based trade, raw-material access, and the Ukraine war.
- He travels with representatives of Germany’s financial industry, then continues to Shanghai to meet German companies before heading on to Singapore for further meetings.
- Signaling a conciliatory approach, he argues for direct engagement with China while warning that any military action over Taiwan would fundamentally alter Berlin’s view.
- The trip follows Foreign Minister Wadephul’s late-October cancellation over limited access in Beijing, sharpening concerns about divide-and-rule tactics that Berlin says it will counter through EU coordination.
- Analysts say the visit’s outcome could shape whether Chancellor Merz proceeds with his own China trip, as Germany steps up de-risking efforts and launches a parliamentary review of security-relevant economic ties.