Germany has scheduled visits to China and three other Asian countries this week, pairing talks with its largest trading partner with an effort to broaden economic and security ties.
China was Germany’s largest trading partner in 2025, when goods trade between the countries totaled €251.8 billion, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported. That volume underscores the economic stakes in Berlin’s talks with Beijing as it develops other partnerships in the region.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s previously announced state visit is scheduled for Oct. 27-31. It will be his first trip to China in nearly eight years. Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to hold talks with him, and Steinmeier is also scheduled to travel to Anhui province.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang and National People’s Congress Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji are expected to meet Steinmeier. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing wants the visit to deepen trust and cooperation between the countries.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to visit Singapore, Japan and South Korea from Oct. 26-30. The German government said his tour aims to strengthen economic and security cooperation, make supply chains more resilient and expand work on artificial intelligence.
In a speech to the Bundestag, Merz identified the three destinations as important to reducing “critical, one-sided dependencies.” He linked broader partnerships to access to export markets and raw materials, as well as fewer supply disruptions during geopolitical crises. He did not identify a particular country as the source of those dependencies.
A German government spokesperson said the two trips are independent but closely coordinated on policy. Separately, the European Union and China agreed during trade talks on Oct. 8-9 to hold a ministerial video conference in January 2027 and their third ministerial Trade and Investment Consultations meeting in March 2027.
Merz is due to hold talks in Singapore on Oct. 27 before traveling to Japan on Oct. 28 to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
