Catch-up trip to China
Wadephul emphasizes the importance of fair trade in Beijing
At the end of October, the German Foreign Minister’s inaugural visit was canceled at the last minute because there were too few high-level appointments. Now Wadephul is in Beijing. First it was about trade issues.
Six weeks after the canceled first visit, Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul arrived in China. At the start of his two-day trip, he emphasized the “central importance” of economic relations between Germany and China. China is Germany’s most important trading partner, he said at a meeting with Trade Minister Wang Wentao. The federal government wants to stick to this and expand it further.
At the same time, Wadephul warned that when it comes to trade issues, both sides also have to talk about issues on which there is no agreement. “We are for free world trade. We are for the removal of trade barriers,” he said. And the federal government is “also in favor of keeping a clear view of ensuring that indirect influence from the state does not lead to competitive imbalances.” The EU accuses China of supporting its own companies with high subsidies.
“We insist that there are fair trading conditions, fair competitive conditions for German and European companies,” said Wadephul in the joint morning magazine ARD and ZDF. “I stand here not only for the German economy, but for the European economy.” Beijing must understand this attitude. “It’s not just about relations with Germany, but it’s also about access to the European market.”
Recovery in Chinese foreign trade
China’s economy depends largely on foreign trade. The national authorities are recording positive signals here: After Chinese exports surprisingly fell in October, they rose again in November. Compared to the same month last year, the export quota rose by 5.9 percent. Experts had only expected 3.9 percent. At the same time, imports of goods rose by 1.9 percent, which was below economists’ expectations, who had forecast import growth of 2.8 percent. The Chinese trade surplus was the equivalent of around 96 billion euros.
In this context, Wadephul warned: “Beijing must ensure that there is equal market access and that we do not have a situation where a trade surplus arises because, for example, very heavily subsidized electric vehicles from China enter the European market.” Protectionism ultimately harms both sides, the Foreign Minister continued. “We rely on negotiations, we rely on understanding.”
China exported 15.5 percent more to Germany than in November 2024. At the same time, imports from the Federal Republic were 4.2 percent lower. China’s trade with the USA, on the other hand, continued to collapse: exports fell by almost 29 percent and imports by around 19 percent. Despite a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, not all points in the trade dispute between the two states have still been resolved.
Discussions also about Ukraine
China’s positions in connection with the war against Ukraine also remain controversial. Wadephul will speak with other Chinese government officials later today, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng. It is also likely to be about China’s role in connection with Ukraine. Although the government in Beijing repeatedly emphasizes that China is playing a neutral role in the war, in the West the People’s Republic is accused of supporting the aggressor Russia.
Before leaving for China, Wadephul announced that he wanted to call on the government in Beijing to influence Russia and work for a just peace. “No other country has as much influence over Russia as China and can use its weight so much to ensure that Russia is finally ready for serious negotiations that respect Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Wadephul said before his departure.
In the morning magazine, the CDU politician added: “We expect China to take a clearer stand against Russia. This affects our core interests, that a war is being waged by Russia in Europe. We also attach importance to knowing that our core interests are taken into account, as China does for its part, and that is also understood here.”
The first visit was canceled
Wadephul actually wanted to travel to Beijing at the end of October as the first minister in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government. A few days before departure, however, he threw the plans overboard – and justified the decision by saying that the Chinese government had not confirmed any other sufficient dates apart from a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang.
