Europe’s China moment: What Merz's visit really signals
27 February 2026

Europe’s China moment: What Merz's visit really signals

World Today

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It's Friedrich Merz's first official visit to China as German chancellor. What results will he bring back to Berlin? Merz is the fifth European state leader Beijing has received in less than three months amid rising economic and geopolitical uncertainty. What implications does it carry for the future of China-EU relations?
Host Tu Yun joins Dr. Hans-Peter Burghof, a professor and the Chair of the Banking and Finance Department at the University of Hohenheim, Germany, Dr. JIN Ling, a senior research fellow leading the Department for European Studies, China Institute of International Studies, and Dr. George Tzogopoulos, the Director of EU-China Programmes and a senior research fellow at the European Institute of Nice to break down the signals, the substance, and what this moment really means.