Overview
- On the sidelines of the Johannesburg summit, Li Qiang met Chancellor Friedrich Merz and proposed collaboration in new energy, smart manufacturing, biomedicine, hydrogen technology and intelligent driving.
- Li urged Berlin to pursue a “rational and pragmatic” China policy, calling for the rejection of external pressure and an emphasis on shared economic interests.
- Relations have warmed in recent weeks after Chinese export curbs on chips and rare earths disrupted German industry and prompted Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to cancel a Beijing trip last month.
- Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil’s visit to Beijing and talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng restarted high-level economic dialogue, and Merz said he is preparing a state visit to China next year.
- Bilateral ties remain commercially significant, with China buying about $95 billion of German goods last year, Germany importing roughly $107 billion from China, and German investment in China totaling $6.6 billion in 2024.