A future German coalition government could take a “more rational” approach to China policy, a former Chinese envoy to Germany says, pointing to likely chancellor Friedrich Merz’s focus on the economy and trade.
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Centre-right election winner Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union, is trying to put together a coalition government with the centre-left Social Democrats. The chance of the China-critical Green Party securing a position in the new leadership, however, appears slim.
According to Wu Ken, who was China’s ambassador to Germany from 2019 to 2024, a Merz-led government could be expected to focus on the two countries’ economic ties.
“This stems primarily from Merz’s long-standing emphasis on the economy, particularly in trade,” Wu said. “More measures to secure economic and trade relations between the two nations could be implemented … I remain confident about the prospects.”
During his diplomatic posting, Wu had extensive exchanges with Merz and Social Democratic Party co-leader Lars Klingbeil, who is in talks to form a coalition government.
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“These two figures certainly do not see China in exactly the same way, especially in terms of how to perceive China and its development,” Wu said. “However, one thing they agree on is that China is an indispensable partner to Germany.”