The Economic Times

German Chancellor Merz meets Xi Jinping in China to strengthen trade, strategic ties

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday, hoping to bolster ties with his country's largest trade partner and high-tech rival as Europe's biggest economy struggles. China, the world's number two economy, overtook the United States last year to become Germany's biggest trade partner, but Berlin also regards the Communist Party-run state as a systemic rival to the West.