China Wants ‘New Level’ in Germany Ties, Beijing’s FM Tells Merz

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that Beijing hoped to bring bilateral ties to a “new level”, as they met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

Wang has been trying to present Beijing as a more reliable and stable partner of the European Union, as the bloc seeks to reduce its dependence on both China and United States.

He told Merz that China hoped to work with Germany to bring the “all-round strategic partnership to a new level”, according to a readout from Beijing’s Foreign Ministry.With Berlin’s support, Beijing also wanted to “prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges”, Wang added.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited Beijing in December, pressing Chinese officials including Wang to use their influence to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine. An earlier visit to China by Wadephul had been cancelled at the last minute, with Germany saying that meetings with key officials could not be arranged. (AFP)