German President Steinmeier targets China trip as Berlin sharpens trade stance

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German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is reportedly preparing an official visit to China, the first by a German president since 2018. The planned trip comes amid worsening trade relations, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also expected to visit Japan and South Korea before the end of October.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is planning to visit China in the coming weeks, even as relations between the two countries sour over trade, according to multiple sources familiar with the arrangement. It will mark the first official visit to China since 2018 for Steinmeier, a former foreign minister whose decade-long tenure as president ends in March 2027. The visit will coincide with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s trips to Japan and South Korea before the end of October. Germany’s...