All articles tagged with #merz
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged a fair rebalance of Germany’s trade with China to shrink a €90 billion 2025 deficit driven by Chinese overcapacity, calling for transparency, level competition and rule-based trade; he traveled with a business delegation, noted potential Airbus orders, and pressed China to influence Moscow to end Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Beijing that China will place a larger order for Airbus jets—up to 120 additional aircraft—as part of his visit to deepen Sino-German ties, meeting Xi Jinping and Li Qiang. He urged a balanced, fair partnership and a level playing field for German firms, with the trip also including a stop in Hangzhou to engage tech firms like Unitree Robotics.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz begins his first official trip to China with talks in Beijing on market access and a growing trade imbalance, while addressing competition from Chinese firms and Beijing’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. He cautions that China should not be expected to reshape the global order, emphasizes Germany’s de-risking of dependence on China, and pursues pragmatic cooperation during a two-day visit that includes Hangzhou and a Mercedes plant, before a planned Washington trip.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz travels to Beijing amid the expanding 'China shock' that has turned China from a growth engine into a strategic headache for Germany, with a 2025 trade deficit near €90 billion and about 10,000 manufacturing jobs lost each month; industry leaders call for tougher action on subsidies and de-risking of supply chains, while Merz tries to balance engagement with the risk of rising protectionism in a tense global trade environment.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned at the Munich Security Conference of a deep rift between Europe and the United States, urging both sides to repair transatlantic trust amid new great-power rivalry and saying the international order based on rights and rules is being destroyed. He stressed Europe’s commitment to climate accords and the WHO, defended free trade, and signaled talks with France on nuclear deterrence as part of strengthening the alliance, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met Merz in Munich, emphasized continued coordination on Ukraine, supply chains, and reconstruction.
As a crowded year of state elections approaches, Merz’s CDU is trying to blunt the AfD’s rise in eastern Germany, notably in Saxony-Anhalt where veteran premier Haseloff steps down and Sven Schulze takes the lead ahead of the Sept. 6 vote to prevent the far-right from potentially winning a governing majority.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz say they would have joined Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” but constitutional provisions in Italy and Germany prevent participation, a stance intended to avoid offending the U.S. president. They floated possible alternatives while EU leaders discussed Trump’s plan amid tensions over tariffs and Trump threats, reaffirming the UN as the primary multilateral forum. Only Hungary and Bulgaria have joined Trump’s initiative, reflecting widespread EU caution about the governance structure and invites to other regimes.
At Davos, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed Trump’s decision not to use force to seize Greenland and to drop tariffs, but warned that a new era of great-power rivalry is taking shape. He urged Europe to boost defense spending, raise economic competitiveness, and stay united, while advancing open, rules-based trade and strengthening the transatlantic alliance. He highlighted the need to push for new trade deals (including Mercosur) and to resist protectionism as the EU navigates a world where power and force increasingly matter.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seeks a level‑headed, common EU response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats to avoid a Europe‑U.S. trade war, hoping Germany and France can align before EU leaders meet. Macron pushes Brussels to activate the EU’s Anti‑Coercion Instrument for a tougher, united response, while Merz keeps the door open to retaliation if needed and plans to press Trump at Davos for a negotiated outcome.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed optimism in his New Year's address, highlighting the challenges faced in 2025 such as the Ukraine war, economic pressures, and technological changes, while emphasizing the need for reforms and asserting that 2026 could be a year of renewal and new beginnings for Germany and Europe.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized the need for Europe to assert its interests more strongly in 2026 to ensure peace and prosperity, citing threats from Russian aggression, global protectionism, and changing U.S. relations, while calling for increased European independence and confidence.
Germany's far-left Die Linke party abstained from a vote on a pension package, effectively ensuring its passage and saving Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition from a political crisis, although this move also highlights the fragile and ideologically diverse nature of the government.
Protests erupted in Hamburg against Friedrich Merz’s controversial comments on migration, amid broader political debates in Germany about immigration policies, rising deportations, and the influence of far-right rhetoric. Meanwhile, the German Army faces setbacks in its digitalization efforts, Porsche shifts focus back to combustion engines, and bird flu outbreaks prompt calls for stricter poultry farming regulations.
In Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia local elections, Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU finished first, but the far-right AfD made significant gains, nearly tripling its previous support and emerging as a major force in western Germany, reflecting broader political shifts and discontent with traditional parties.
A summit between Putin and Zelenskyy will not take place, according to Germany's Friedrich Merz, amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions and conflicts in the region.