Overview
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul left for talks in China, with meetings set in Beijing on December 8–9 and a follow‑on stop in Guangzhou.
- He plans to raise German industry’s worries over Chinese export limits on rare earths, which are vital for technologies from electric vehicles to wind turbines.
- Wadephul will also address market distortions tied to Chinese overcapacity in electric mobility and steel, a pressure point that has prompted EU import curbs criticized by Beijing.
- His agenda includes Russia’s war against Ukraine as well as tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, with a call for direct, intensive dialogue.
- The visit, postponed in late October after disagreements over the program, resumes high‑level engagement following earlier friction linked to comments on Taiwan.