Xi-Merz Meeting

Decoding Beijing's readout of the Xi-Merz meeting & joint press statement

Some of my observations:

1. Bilateral Relations

Xi Jinping put forward three proposals for China-Germany relations. Notably, the very first one was a call for Germany to

View China’s development in an objective and rational manner.

希望德方客观理性看待中国发展

In Chinese diplomatic parlance, this is a veiled criticism — suggesting that Germany and Europe’s perceptions of China in recent years have been tainted by bias and emotion, particularly as reflected in framing China as a systemic rival and in the broader “de-risking” discourse.

A similar signal is embedded in the phrase

pursue an active and pragmatic China policy,

奉行积极、务实的对华政策

which implies that Beijing views some of Germany’s recent policy moves as having been driven more by ideology than by national interest.

2. The “Innovation Partner” Framing

One formulation I find particularly noteworthy is Beijing’s assertion that

The German government has proposed new development strategies in areas such as technology, innovation, and digitalization, which are highly aligned with China’s development direction of intelligentization, green transformation, and integrated development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

德国政府在技术、创新、数字等领域提出新发展战略，同中国“十五五”时期智能化、绿色化、融合化发展方向高度契合。

Beijing wants to convey the message that, since the two countries’ macro-level directions in technology and innovation are convergent, there is no reason not to cooperate. Building on this premise, Beijing immediately laid out its own demands. The call for “two-way flow of talent, knowledge, and technology”支持两国人才、知识、技术双向流动 is a direct pushback against restrictions on technology transfers to China in recent years.

The phrase “correctly manage the relationship between competition and cooperation”双方要正确把握竞争和合作的关系 reflects Beijing’s longstanding dissatisfaction with the EU’s tripartite characterization of China as “partner, economic competitor, and systemic rival” — the word “correctly” here is saying: your current approach to managing this balance is incorrect.

And the emphasis on “stability and smooth functioning of industrial and supply chains”共同维护产业链供应链稳定畅通 is a rejection of the “de-risking” agenda.

The “four roles”四个“者” formulation is also interesting. Xi stressed that China and Germany should take the lead in being “defenders of multilateralism, practitioners of the international rule of law, champions of free trade, and advocates of solidarity and cooperation.” 多边主义的维护者、国际法治的践行者、自由贸易的捍卫者、团结协作的倡导者 None of these four roles names any country explicitly, yet every single one implicitly targets the policy trajectory of the second Trump administration.

3. Merz’s Remarks

Merz’s statements in the Chinese readout are an edited one, but Beijing’s choice of wording still conveys useful signals. What I find most worth noting is the emphasis on Merz calling for “a reliable and lasting economic and trade cooperative relationship” between the EU and China. This is consistent with the tone Merz struck in his pre-visit statement and suggests that Germany does not intend to aggressively pursue “de-risking” with China.

4. Ukraine

On Ukraine, Beijing’s readout uses the phrase “exchanged views,” which in Chinese diplomatic grammar signals that a significant gap remains between the two sides’ positions. However, while Ukraine is an important issue, it is not the most central agenda item of Merz’s visit. As such, this divergence is unlikely to damage the bilateral relationship.

5. Joint Press Statement

Both sides placed their core concerns under a “noted” (注意到) structure. Germany’s concerns (dependency, trade imbalance, export controls) and China’s concerns (securitization of trade issues, restrictions on high-tech exports) remain apart. But putting disagreements on the table and agreeing to disagree is still better than both sides talking past each other inside their own echo chambers.

“Germany reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China policy” stands as its own paragraph in the document. This can be read as highlighting its importance, but it can also be interpreted as Germany’s reluctance to elaborate further on this position. How one reads it depends on where one stands, which is perhaps, in itself, part of the art of diplomacy.

Below are the English versions of the Chinese official readout and the joint statement I issued.

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Xi Jinping Meets with German Chancellor Merz

On the afternoon of February 25, President Xi Jinping met with German Chancellor Merz, who was on an official visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Germany are the world’s second and third largest economies respectively, and that China-Germany relations concern not only the interests of both countries but also have significant ripple effects on Europe and the world. The current international situation is undergoing the most profound transformation since the end of World War II. The more the world is beset by change and turbulence, the more China and Germany need to strengthen strategic communication, enhance strategic mutual trust, and promote continuous new development in the China-Germany all-round strategic partnership.

Xi Jinping put forward three proposals for the next phase of China-Germany relations. First, the two countries should be reliable partners who support each other. Both China and Germany have achieved rapid development on their own footing, adhering to mutual respect, mutual trust, openness, and cooperation, writing a success story of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. China is committed to the path of peaceful development, and has the capability and confidence to achieve Chinese-style modernization. China will continue to share development opportunities with countries around the world, including Germany. It is hoped that Germany will view China’s development in an objective and rational manner, pursue an active and pragmatic China policy, and work with China to ensure the steady and sustained development of China-Germany relations.

Second, the two countries should be innovative partners committed to openness and mutual benefit. The German government has proposed new development strategies in areas such as technology, innovation, and digitalization, which are highly aligned with China’s development direction of intelligentization, green transformation, and integrated development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Both sides should strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, support the two-way flow of talent, knowledge, and technology between the two countries, and promote dialogue and cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence. Both sides should correctly manage the relationship between competition and cooperation, seek mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation pathways, and jointly safeguard the stability and smooth functioning of industrial and supply chains.

Third, the two countries should be people-to-people partners who know and feel close to each other. Both China and Germany are major countries with profound cultural heritage. The two sides should strengthen mutual learning between civilizations, deepen people-to-people exchanges, and consolidate the popular support foundation for China-Germany friendship.

Xi Jinping emphasized that in the face of the accelerating transformation of the world unseen in a century, all countries should stand together through thick and thin and share a common destiny. China and Germany should uphold the central role of the United Nations, reinvigorate the UN’s leading role, and take the lead in being defenders of multilateralism, practitioners of the international rule of law, champions of free trade, and advocates of solidarity and cooperation. China supports Europe in becoming more independent and stronger, and hopes that the European side will work in the same direction as China, maintain the strategic partnership positioning, adhere to openness, inclusiveness, cooperation, and win-win outcomes, achieve greater development in China-EU relations, and make greater contributions to world peace and development.

Merz said he was delighted to visit China as the Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival, and wished the Chinese people good fortune in the Year of the Horse. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and China, the two countries have maintained friendly exchanges and close cooperation, bringing benefits to the peoples of both countries. Germany values its relationship with China, firmly adheres to the one-China policy, and is willing to work with China to continue the tradition of friendship, uphold mutual respect, openness, and cooperation, and continuously deepen the all-round strategic partnership between the two countries. The German business community attaches great importance to the Chinese market and hopes to further deepen cooperation with China to achieve mutual benefit and common development. The international situation is undergoing profound changes, and Germany and China bear an important shared responsibility in addressing global challenges. Germany looks forward to strengthening coordination with China, upholding free trade, and opposing protectionism. It is in the interest of both sides for the EU and China to develop a reliable and lasting economic and trade cooperative relationship, and it also contributes to world stability and prosperity. Germany supports strengthened dialogue and cooperation between the EU and China.

The two leaders exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi Jinping elaborated on China’s principled position, pointing out that the key is to persist in seeking solutions through dialogue and negotiation. It is essential to ensure equal participation of all parties and build a solid foundation for peace; to ensure that the legitimate concerns of all parties are addressed and the willingness for peace is strengthened; and to ensure the realization of common security and the building of a lasting peace architecture.

The two sides issued the Joint Press Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Wang Yi attended the meeting.

Joint Press Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 25

At the invitation of Premier Li Qiang of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the Federal Republic of Germany paid his first official visit to the People’s Republic of China from February 25 to 26, 2026. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included 30 representatives from the German business community.

During his stay in Beijing, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China met with Chancellor Merz, and Premier Li Qiang held talks with Chancellor Merz. The leaders of the two countries exchanged views on China-Germany relations, international and regional issues, and economic policy matters.

Both sides spoke positively of the good cooperation under the framework of the China-Germany all-round strategic partnership, and agreed that mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, continued open dialogue, and cooperation in addressing common challenges are the fundamental principles for developing China-Germany relations. This visit has injected new momentum into the development of the bilateral partnership. Both sides emphasized the overarching significance of the China-Germany intergovernmental consultation mechanism in comprehensively advancing bilateral cooperation.

Germany reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China policy.

Both sides emphasized that economic and trade cooperation is an important component of the bilateral relationship and expressed willingness to deepen mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation. Both sides stressed the vital importance of open dialogue, fair competition, and mutual market access. The Chinese side noted Germany’s emphasis on issues such as “reducing dependency,” trade imbalances, and export controls; the German side noted China’s concerns regarding the securitization of economic and trade issues and export controls on high-technology products. Both sides are willing to properly address each other’s concerns through candid and open dialogue, so as to ensure a long-term, balanced, reliable, and sustainable economic and trade relationship. The two Premiers jointly attended a symposium of the China-Germany Economic Advisory Committee and engaged in exchanges with business representatives from both countries. Both sides agreed to continue the China-Germany Dialogue on Climate Change and Green Transition.

Both sides believe that the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law form the basis for international cooperation. China and Germany will continue to make efforts to this end and, on this basis, maintain dialogue on international issues, firmly uphold the status of the United Nations, and adhere to multilateralism and free trade.

Both sides encourage and support the strengthening of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, and agreed to further enhance cooperation in the fields of culture and sports, and to promote mutual understanding through exchange programs and mutual visits between cultural figures, sports organizations, and young people. Both sides welcomed the restart of the China-Germany Dialogue Forum.

Both sides also discussed the Ukraine issue, and support efforts to achieve a ceasefire and lasting peace on the basis of the United Nations Charter and its principles.

Chancellor Merz expressed his gratitude to the Chinese government for the warm reception accorded to him as the first foreign leader to visit China after the Chinese Lunar New Year.

This official visit fully demonstrates that both China and Germany are committed to maintaining a stable and constructive bilateral relationship, are willing to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest, and are prepared to properly handle differences through candid, open, and mutually respectful dialogue.