Germany runs back to China
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Beijing in late February with about 30 business leaders, then sent Economy Minister Katherina Reiche to plan a May 26-29 China trip on trade. - China agreed during Merz’s visit to buy up to 120 Airbus aircraft, while German machine-tool builders sent about 140 exhibitors to Shanghai’s CCMT 2026 fair in April. - The push comes as China retook the spot as Germany’s top trading partner in 2025, even as Berlin still says it is “de-risking,” not decoupling. (destatis.de)
Germany is not “running back” to China so much as trying to keep business flowing while its China strategy gets tougher. In 2026, Berlin is doing both at once. (dw.com) (bloomberg.com) The clearest signal came on February 25-26, when Chancellor Friedrich Merz made his first China trip as chancellor with a large business delegation. After meeting Xi Jinping and Li Qiang, Merz said China would buy up to 120 Airbus aircraft. (dw.com) (euronews.com) Berlin has kept the contacts going. Bloomberg reported on April 22 that Economy Minister Katherina Reiche plans her first China visit for May 26-29, with trade, raw materials and artificial intelligence regulation on the agenda. (bloomberg.com) German industry is moving in parallel. The German Machine Tool Builders’ Association said about 140 German exhibitors took part in Shanghai’s CCMT 2026 fair from April 21 to 25, the largest international exhibitor group at the show. (vdw.de) The auto channel is active too. China’s commerce ministry said Wang Wentao met Mercedes-Benz chief and European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association chair Ola Källenius in Beijing on April 23-24 for talks on industrial cooperation and trade curbs. (sg.finance.yahoo.com) This is happening after China moved back ahead of the United States as Germany’s biggest trading partner in 2025. Germany’s Federal Statistical Office said goods trade with China reached about 252.4 billion euros last year, versus 240.5 billion euros with the United States. (destatis.de) But the relationship is not returning to the old Merkel-era formula. Merz used his Beijing trip to press for better market access and to complain that the trade imbalance was “not healthy,” according to Deutsche Welle’s live coverage. (dw.com) German industry’s problem is that China is still a major market and production base even as it becomes a harsher competitor. VDW said China is the second-largest export market for German machine tools after the United States, but German shipments to China fell 18.3% in 2025. (vdw.de) That tension runs through Berlin’s policy. Reuters reported in late 2025 that Germany’s parliament created an expert commission to rethink China trade policy after rare-earth export curbs exposed industrial vulnerabilities, accelerating a “de-risking” line rather than a break. (dzrh.com.ph) So the current story is less a full pivot back to Beijing than a dual track: more ministerial visits, more trade fairs, more corporate talks — and more warnings from Berlin about deficits, dependence and unfair competition. (bloomberg.com) (dw.com) Germany still needs China to sell planes, cars and industrial equipment. Germany also no longer talks about China as if commerce alone will solve the politics. (politico.eu) (dw.com)
