Merz in China: Business Appetite Meets Geopolitical Realities

Описание: We discuss Germany’s China policy against the backdrop of Friedrich Merz’s visit to Beijing from February 24 to 26 – his first as federal chancellor. Merz is accompanied by 30 high-ranking business representatives, among them the CEOs of Bayer, Volkswagen, and Siemens, eager to strengthen ties with the Chinese market. The visit comes at a pivotal moment as the European Union seeks ways to enhance its economic competitiveness vis-à-vis Beijing while US protectionism adds further pressure.

Speakers:
Elisa Hörhager, Chief Representative in Beijing, Federation of German Industries (BDI)
Michael Laha, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, and Technology, DGAP
Steffen Wurzel, Correspondent, Deutschlandfunk; Former Correspondent in Shanghai, ARD Radio (2016–2021)
Chair: Tim Hofmann, Editor, Internationale Politik (IP)

Highlights:
00:00 Introduction (Hofmann)
03:32 Why this trip now (Laha)
08:01 Industry expectations of visit (Hörhager)
14:55 Strategic relationship (Wurzel)
22:34 Derisking and decoupling approach (Laha)
26:26 Same words, but different meaning (Wurzel)
27:53 Shift from offensive market interests to defensive priorities (Hörhager)
34:10 Q&A

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