German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday he would seek “strategic partnerships” during a visit to China next week, signalling Berlin’s intent to deepen ties with Beijing as Washington’s tariff push strains transatlantic relations.
Speaking at his party’s Ash Wednesday event in the western city of Trier, Merz said Germany had a strategic interest in finding partners willing to shape the future together, and that foreign and economic policy could no longer be separated.
“We have a strategic interest in finding partners in the world who think the way we do, who act the way we do, and who above all are prepared to shape the future together so that we remain a country with prosperity and a high level of social security,” he said.
Merz was pointed in his criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, which is testing relations between Washington and its European allies and threatening to inflict further damage on Germany’s already struggling economy.
“If the Americans believe that, with their tariff policy, they should exert influence around the world — if they believe that tariffs are more important than taxes at home — then that is something Americans can, of course, decide for themselves. But it is not our policy,” he said.
The chancellor warned that Europe was prepared to respond if Washington pressed ahead with further tariff increases, while leaving the door open to renewed transatlantic cooperation. “You can do it, but we will not go along with it. And if you overdo it, then we Europeans are certainly able to defend ourselves against it,” he said.
Merz pointed to Europe’s united response to a recent flare-up linked to Greenland as evidence of the bloc’s capacity to act in concert, and outlined what he described as a dual approach: engagement with Washington alongside sufficient cohesion within the European Union to defend European interests.
“That is our double strategy: an outstretched hand and, at any time, a renewed partnership — but also enough cohesion and unity within the European Union so that we can defend ourselves sufficiently against things we do not want,” he said.
(Reuters)
