German President Steinmeier Plans First China Visit Since 2018 Amid Trade Tensions

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is planning to visit China in the coming weeks, according to multiple sources familiar with the arrangement, despite relations between the two countries souring over trade.

The proposed visit will take place as Berlin adopts a tougher position on China and as Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepares for an Asia tour.

Trip would be Steinmeier’s first since 2018

The trip would be Steinmeier’s first official visit to China since 2018. Steinmeier is a former foreign minister whose decade-long tenure as president ends in March 2027.

The visit is expected to coincide with Merz’s trips to Japan and South Korea before the end of October. The timing places Steinmeier’s China engagement alongside the chancellor’s separate efforts in Asia, as Germany manages increasingly difficult trade concerns.

Germany’s president is the head of state, while political power sits primarily with the chancellor and government. That makes Steinmeier’s role largely ceremonial, although he represents Germany abroad.

Trade tensions put relationship under scrutiny

The visit will be watched closely for signs of further cracks in the Sino-German relationship. Berlin has pivoted dramatically in recent weeks towards a more hardline approach to China on trade.

The shift is being driven by fears that Germany’s manufacturing heartlands will be hollowed out by intense Chinese competition. That concern gives the presidential trip significance beyond its largely ceremonial character, particularly as Germany’s trade position hardens.

On Monday, the South China Morning Post reported that Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron had co-signed a paper calling for a new trade weapon. The proposed mechanism could allow China or other trading partners deemed to be flouting the rules to be excluded from the giant EU single market almost immediately.

The planned visit therefore comes as Berlin and Paris press for a stronger European response to rule-breaking trade partners, while Steinmeier prepares to represent Germany in China.

Source: South China Morning Post