30 CEOs and 120 Airbus
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits China | Sparks #2026-01
“30 CEOs and 120 Airbus” By Pauline Geyer, Sparker at Asia Centre.
The Year of the Horse has just begun and the red lanterns are still glowing in Beijing, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz steps onto Chinese soil, accompanied by a delegation of 30 CEOs from large and mid-sized German companies. The symbolism of this timing is striking. Two days in China, carefully placed between the Spring Festival and the annual National People’s Congress. A spot that seems to be reserved for “the visit of a friend” as Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly described the visit at the beginning of their meeting. In Chinese diplomatic language, such phrasing is rarely accidental. It is Merz’s first visit to China since becoming the German chancellor, around two years after his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, travelled to Beijing in 2024.
However, while Merz delivered his speech in Beijing, much of the overall Chinese population was still travelling home from its Chinese New Year celebrations. And as the crowds press forward through the Chinese railway stations, the news travel alongside them, slightly noticed, nevertheless unable to interrupt the pace. Because Beijing’s narrative within its media outlets remains consistent. After the visits by the French, Finnish, and British heads of state in recent months, the message circulating domestically remains that one European statesman after another is coming to visit Beijing. The underlying narrative shared within the news is that Europe needs China. In this way, Europe is portrayed as increasingly dependent on stable relations especially amid global turbulence. […]
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“30 CEOs and 120 Airbus” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits China:
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