German President Steinmeier targets China trip as Berlin sharpens trade stance

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is planning to visit China in the coming weeks, even as relations between the two countries sour over trade, according to multiple sources familiar with the arrangement.It will mark the first official visit to China since 2018 for Steinmeier, a former foreign minister whose decade-long tenure as president ends in March 2027. The visit will coincide with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s trips to Japan and South Korea before the end of October.Germany’s president is the head of state, while political power sits primarily with the chancellor and government, making Steinmeier’s a largely ceremonial role. The president does, however, represent Germany abroad.Balancing trade and economic rivalry: the future of Sino-German relationsThe trip will be watched closely for signs of further cracks in the Sino-German relationship. Berlin has pivoted dramatically in recent weeks towards a more hardline approach to China on trade amid fears that its manufacturing heartlands will be hollowed out by intense Chinese competition.On Monday, the South China Morning Post reported that Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron had co-signed a paper calling for a new trade weapon that could see China or other trading partners deemed to be flouting the rules excluded from the giant EU single market, almost immediately.