Merz’s ‘China Travel’ freshens Europe’s notion of China: World Times editorial

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the Palace Museum in Beijing on February 26, 2026. Photo: VCG

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrapped up his go to to China on Thursday and shared movies of the journey on social media. It was evident that in simply over two days, the chancellor loved a nice and interesting expertise in China. From visiting the Palace Museum and increasing Chinese New Year greetings in Chinese for the Year of the Horse, even quoting strains from German poet Friedrich Schiller, to watching the identical martial arts efficiency WuBot in Hangzhou that was showcased throughout the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, in addition to robotic fight reveals; from test-riding the brand new Mercedes-Benz S-Class to visiting Siemens High Voltage Circuit Breaker Co. Ltd. to be taught in regards to the improvement of German-funded enterprises in China, Merz immersed himself all through the go to. He ceaselessly applauded, posed for pictures with robots, and shared them on-line.

This marked Merz’s first go to to China since taking workplace and made him the primary international chief to go to China after the Spring Festival vacation within the Year of the Horse. President Xi Jinping met with Chancellor Merz, and Premier Li Qiang held talks with him. The two sides issued the Joint Press Statement Between the People’s Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Germany. As the world’s second and third largest economies and main nations with international influence, China and Germany see this go to not solely as a chance to open a brand new chapter in bilateral relations, but in addition as a supply of stability and optimistic power for a world marked by turbulence and uncertainty.

One distinctive characteristic of the chancellor’s “China Travel” was his close-range interplay with “innovative China.” Merz grew to become one of many few Western authorities leaders to have visited a Chinese humanoid robotics enterprise, and his journey not solely opened up a brand new means of experiencing China but in addition sparked sturdy curiosity amongst European media in Hangzhou and the “innovation ecosystem” it represents. German media described intimately how these robots, skilled with synthetic intelligence, can placed on boxing, acrobatics and kung fu reveals, noting that they’re a key focus of China’s push for brand new high quality productive forces. France’s Le Monde referred to Hangzhou as “the heart city of China’s digital revolution.” European media retailers usually portrayed Hangzhou in optimistic phrases, albeit with a aggressive undertone, broadly acknowledging China’s speedy developments and main place in AI and robotics.

Merz’s “China Travel” has given Europe a recent notion of China to some extent, breaking by way of the false narrative cocoon that portrays China’s high-tech improvement as “subsidy-driven,” “low-cost replication” and even “copying.” It has allowed extra Europeans to see a practical, enterprising, open, and inclusive China. The presence of executives from about 30 main German corporations in numerous industries signaled a willingness to additional develop funding in China and deepen joint analysis and improvement, serving to to unlock new progress drivers in areas reminiscent of AI and new-energy automobiles. The cooperation paperwork signed throughout the go to in fields together with inexperienced transition, customs, sports activities, and media additionally mirrored substantive and pragmatic outcomes.

Of course, at any time when a Western chief visits China, some noise inevitably follows. Even earlier than the journey, anti-China forces in Germany had ready a set of “mandatory questions” for Merz on commerce deficits and “reducing dependence,” in an try to “set the tone” for his go to. During the journey, some Western media retailers have been capable of take an goal view and acknowledge China’s financial and technological progress. However, some remained fixated on hyping “overcapacity” and “economic threats,” even portraying the German aspect’s optimistic itinerary as “deliberate packaging and propaganda” by China. 

Behind these distorted mindsets lies the truth that some Western media are unable to confront the truth of China’s improvement and progress. They seemingly additionally discover it troublesome to simply accept that, previously three months alone, leaders together with the German chancellor, the French president, the Canadian prime minister, the Finnish prime minister, and the British prime minister have all visited China and achieved notable cooperative outcomes. These mutual engagements display the absurdity of trying to “decouple” from China and forcing at this time’s China to simply accept unilateral guidelines set by the Western world.

For Germany, China shouldn’t be solely its largest buying and selling accomplice but in addition an indispensable node in international industrial chains. China-Germany relations have lengthy served as a “stabilizing anchor” for China-EU ties. 

During the go to, Merz emphasised “valuing relations with China,” “attaching high importance to the Chinese market,” and “adhering to free trade and rejecting protectionism,” and expressed assist for enhancing dialogue and cooperation between the EU and China. It is hoped that Chancellor Merz’s pragmatic method will assist foster a extra balanced EU consensus on China, convey larger advantages to the peoples of China, Germany, and Europe, and contribute to international peace and prosperity.