German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ‌touched down in Beijing on Wednesday hoping to reset bilateral ties, with China pitching itself as a reliable economic partner as Europe struggles to balance its US alliance and address supply-⁠chain vulnerabilities.

Merz, on his first visit to China, becomes the latest European leader seeking to reset ties with China after Britain's Starmer and Canada's Carney this year, while Beijing touts the benefits of engaging with its massive consumer market and advanced manufacturing base.

Engagement between Europe's largest economy and China could set the stage for EU-China relations this year.

Merz comes accompanied by a delegation of 30 firms including top carmakers ‌such as Volkswagen and BMW which are acutely feeling the strain of Chinese ⁠competition.

In editorials ahead of the visit, Chinese state ‌media emphasised the potential for EU-China co-operation to become a stabilising force while US tariff policies upend global trade.

Xinhua, in an editorial published early on Wednesday, cited a German chamber of commerce survey finding ⁠that innovation gains ‌in China are feeding back into German ‌headquarters.

The Global Times said concerns about competition with China would be outweighed by the ‌lure of China's massive market.

"Rhetoric such as 'systemic rival' and 'de-risking' has at times complicated Germany's China policy," it said in an early Wednesday editorial.

"Yet the enthusiasm and actions ⁠of the German business community speak louder than political slogans." (Reuters)



Edited by Thomas McAlinden