Overview
- German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul began a two-day trip with talks in Beijing with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Vice President Han Zheng before a planned stop in Guangzhou.
- He is urging China to ease export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors and is flagging excess capacity in electric vehicles and steel as risks for German industry.
- Berlin is raising security priorities in the meetings, urging Beijing to leverage its influence with Russia over the war in Ukraine and addressing tensions in the South China Sea and the Middle East.
- The visit was postponed in October due to limited meeting access and is now closely coordinated with EU partners as the European Commission advances tougher anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures.
- Germany has set up a parliamentary expert committee on security‑relevant trade to cut critical dependencies on Chinese supplies and to inform policy oversight.