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the institute of europe of the russian academy of sciences
Analytical paper IE RAS No 9, 2026 «Chancellor Merz’s Visit to the People’s Republic of China: Tactical Stabilization of Germany’s China Vector»
- 12 March 2026
IE RAS presents Analytical papers of IE RAS No 9, 2026 «Chancellor Merz’s Visit to the People’s Republic of China: Tactical Stabilization of Germany’s China Vector» (in English) by Vladislav Belov, Candidate of Sciences (Economics), Board Member, Head of the Department for Countries Studies, Head of the Center for German Studies, Institute of Europe (RAS).
On 25–26 February 2026, Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the People’s Republic of China under the framework of Germany’s China Strategy adopted in July 2023. The visit did not constitute a strategic reorientation of German policy toward China. Instead, it aimed at stabilizing the China vector in German foreign policy, protecting the industrial competitiveness of the German Standort, and maintaining a managed bilateral dialogue amid intensifying technological competition, persistent trade imbalances, and politicization of economic interdependence, while preserving a normative approach in foreign policy (including matters related to Ukraine). This paper analyzes the evolution of Germany’s approach to the PRC under Merkel, Scholz, and Merz, objectives and outcomes of the negotiations, European and transatlantic dimensions, main parameters of interdependence, and implications for Russia.
https://www.instituteofeurope.ru/images/uploads/analitika/2026/an420eng.pdf