German Chancellor Merz to China: We need transparency, reliability, and adherence to rules

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made statements to the press following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as part of his official visit to the Chinese capital, Beijing.

Stating that the first day of his visit to Beijing, which took place in the shadow of discussions on fair competition between Europe and China and major geopolitical crises, was productive, Merz said, "We want to strengthen our comprehensive strategic partnership. The most important focus today was how we will shape our competition.

Competition between companies must be fair. We need transparency, reliability, and adherence to jointly established rules. We also want to continue discussing issues of access restrictions and export limitations. Both the Chinese and the Germans are aware that our economic exchange contributes significantly to the prosperity of both countries. The fact that two of the world's three largest economies are trading with each other here has a powerful impact both for us and for others," he said.

"China is preparing to purchase 120 aircraft from Airbus"

Emphasizing that his visit is also important in terms of demonstrating the potential in China, Merz pointed to the Chinese government's preparation to place an order for approximately 120 aircraft from the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus as an example. Merz said, "Even this example shows how valuable such trips are, especially discussing specific issues in detail. There were also concrete issues discussed with several other companies, but these have not yet been finalized," he said.

Stating that they want to reduce the trade imbalance that has formed between Germany and China over the last two years, Merz said, "There will be more visits from Germany throughout the year. The Minister of Economy and Energy and the Minister of Digital Affairs will come to China. We will also hold German-Chinese intergovernmental consultations. We aim to deepen discussions on these issues within the framework of existing bilateral dialogue formats. We are also exchanging views in depth on other topics such as the transformation in the energy and climate sectors," he said.

"I asked China to use its influence on Russia to end the Ukraine war"

Expressing that they also addressed international issues during his meetings in Beijing, Merz said, "Today, I asked my interlocutors to use their influence to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Beijing can be effective in this regard. We also know that signals from China are taken very seriously in Moscow. This applies to both words and actions," he said.