Beijing: Germany wants a fair and strong economic partnership with China. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation between the two countries during Merz's first visit to China. The visit comes at a time when the two nations are seeking to normalize relations amid widening trade imbalances.

According to Thai News Agency, during their meeting, Mr. Merz expressed Germany's commitment to maintaining and enhancing economic exchanges with China, which was Germany's largest trading partner last year. He highlighted the importance of ensuring that cooperation is fair and involves open communication. Mr. Merz also noted that Germany has specific concerns that require improvement and greater fairness.

Mr. Li, for his part, called on both sides to jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade, making reference to US President Donald Trump's trade war, which is impacting the global trading system. The Chinese leader stressed that China and Germany, as major global economies with significant influence, should strengthen trust in their cooperation to build a fairer global governance system. He also pointed out that China aims to present itself as a reliable economic ally, especially at a time when Europe is dealing with supply chain fragility and concerns about increasing dependence on China.

This visit to China makes Mr. Merz the latest European leader to attempt to mend relations with China, following British Prime Minister Keynes Starmer and Canadian President Mark Carney, who also visited China earlier this year. The discussions between Europe's two largest economies, Germany and China, could potentially shape the direction of European Union-China relations for the rest of the year.

Mr. Merz traveled to China with a delegation of over 30 businesses, including leading automotive companies such as Volkswagen and BMW. These companies are currently facing intense pressure from Chinese competitors, contributing to a trade imbalance that concerns the German government and has resulted in calls for protectionist trade policies.