German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is meeting China's top leaders Wednesday at the start of a whirlwind two-day visit to press for a fair economic playing field for German companies, and China's assistance in bringing about an end to Russia's four-year-old war in Ukraine.
The German leader's plane touched down in the late morning on an overcast day in the Chinese capital. Before his departure, he emphasized the importance of placing Germany's China policy in a European context, saying it was no coincidence that he is visiting not long after French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — and ahead of a planned trip by U.S. President Donald Trump in early April.
