Friedrich Merz to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing as China overtakes US as country’s leading export destination
China has overtaken the US as Germany’s top trading partner, figures have shown, as the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, prepares for his first visit to Beijing since taking office.
Merz will head to China on Tuesday and will be welcomed with military honours on Wednesday in Beijing by the prime minister, Li Qiang, before later meeting the president, Xi Jinping, for talks over dinner, his spokesperson, Sebastian Hille, said.
Germany’s Federal Statistical Office released figures on Friday showing that China is back on top as the country’s most important market with €251bn (£219bn) in trade in 2025, up 2.2% on 2024 when the US was the country’s leading export destination.
Germany imported about €170.6bn-worth of goods from China in 2025, more than double the value of exports from Germany to China, which stood at €81.3bn.
