Germany’s Merkel sees ties with Chinese premiers pay off
In the fourth story in a series on China’s relations with other G20 members ahead of next month’s G20 summit, the South China Morning Post examines how German Chancellor Angela Merkel burnished her reputation as the world leader who ‘knows China best’
German Chancellor Angela Merkel may find her tenth visit to China, for next month’s G20 summit in Hangzhou, the most challenging since she took office in 2005.
It comes at a testing time for Sino-European ties and the once cosy relationship between China and Germany also appears to be faltering after a much-touted golden era of economic and trade cooperation.
Despite our differences, both China and Germany are poised to take up greater international leadership roles in global governance
Merkel, Europe’s longest-serving head of government, is largely preoccupied with the pressing challenges of dealing with an ongoing refugee crisis and the aftermath of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.
A trained physicist who grew up in communist East Germany, Merkel is famed for her skill as an interlocutor with China’s largely enigmatic leaders, thanks partly to the lucrative commercial ties between China, the world’s second-largest economy, and Germany, Europe’s biggest.
Her frequent visits to China, the most among all German chancellors and a record among Western leaders, underline her special ties with the country and reflect her keenness to show she “knows China best”.
