Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

12/07/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/08/2025 10:05

Indispensable discussions: Foreign Minister Wadephul travels to China

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Indispensable discussions: Foreign Minister Wadephul travels to China

Foreign Minister Wadephul with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi © Photothek Media Lab

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07.12.2025 - Article

Foreign Minister Wadephul is visiting China for talks on 8 and 9 December and will address important issues while he is there.

China has undergone rapid development over the last few decades. It now has unparalleled economic dynamism. The country is Germany's most important trading partner - and has become a major player on the international stage.

Foreign Minister Wadephul is arriving in Beijing on Monday to hold political talks with his counterpart Foreign Minister Wang Yi and others. Not all of the topics on the agenda are simple. Particularly on issues that affect Europe's security, such as the situation in the Indo-Pacific and especially the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the two countries have differing positions. This is what makes it so important to talk to China face to face.

Foreign Minister Wadephul commented prior to his departure:

We want and need in-depth discussion with China in order to advance on all of these issues. When it comes to the major challenges facing humanity, such as climate change, too, we can only make progress together. We want to cooperate with China - but we also expect to see understanding for Europe's key concerns and interests.

Trade and business in particular form the heart of German-Chinese relations. Many German businesses operate in China, where German products remain very popular. China will continue to play an important role for many businesses in the future.


Foreign Minister Wadephul commented:

Close economic relations have always been fundamentally important. And Germany and China still have a lot to offer one another today. German products are in demand in China - while China's market and innovative power are attractive to many German businesses.

At his meeting with Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, economic issues as well as the concerns of German businesses will play a key role. To avoid depending on just a few sources for important raw materials, Germany is making an active effort to place its supply chains on a broader footing. This is particularly important for critical raw materials such as rare earths.


Foreign Minister Wadephul further commented:

Trade restrictions on rare earths in particular are a major concern for our businesses, as are excess capacities in e-mobility and steel. These are crucial issues for the German economy, and they are issues that I will address. We ultimately have a shared interest with China in ensuring stable and dependable global trade relations.

From Beijing, Foreign Minister Wadephul will travel onwards to Guangzhou to gain a firsthand impression of China's innovative power. Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province, which is also home to the tech metropolis Shenzhen. The province is the epicentre of China's rapid economic and technological development.


Foreign Minister Wadephul further commented:

Only those who place themselves firmly at the forefront of today's technological essentials, from semiconductors to artificial intelligence, can stay competitive in the long term, bolster their security and reduce critical dependencies in the digital sphere, too.

The aim of Foreign Minister Wadephul's visit to China is to continue the two countries' dialogue at a high level - partly as a follow-up to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Berlin in July - and to discuss the whole spectrum of German-Chinese relations.

Because one thing is clear: despite all of the challenges, candid discussion with China remains important in order to make progress together.

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Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany published this content on December 07, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on December 08, 2025 at 16:05 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]