German Chancellor announces order from China to Airbus for “up to 120” aircraft

Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced in Beijing on Wednesday an order of “up to 120” aircraft placed by China with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, on the first day of his visit to Germany’s main trading partner, increasingly perceived in his country as a dangerous competitor for “Made in Germany”.

“We have just learned that Chinese leaders are going to order more planes from the Airbus company. Up to 120 additional planes will be ordered from Airbus,” he told journalists after talks during the day with Chinese leaders. He did not provide further details about the order, particularly the type of devices.

Multiple areas of disagreement upstream

The German chancellor presented the Airbus order as illustrating the potential of the relationship with China. During his meetings with Prime Minister Li Qiang and then President Xi Jinping, Friedrich Merz, arriving at the head of a large delegation of business leaders, pleaded for strengthened but more “fair” cooperation with China, and for an open discussion on the areas of disagreement cited before his trip.

And these are multiple: growing trade imbalance in favor of China, distortion of competition, restrictions on access to markets and security of supplies of rare earths over which China has the upper hand, state subsidies to Chinese companies, exchange rate of the Chinese currency… “There are challenges”, but “the framework in which we operate is remarkably good”, assured the German Chancellor during his talks with President Xi.

Xi Jinping, who has been receiving foreign leaders one after the other for several months, also affirmed his desire for “further progress” in the relationship. “The more troubled and complicated the world becomes, the more important it is for China and Germany to strengthen their strategic communication,” he stressed.

” Unavoidable “

Friedrich Merz is making his first visit to China for a little less than two days since taking office in 2025. After the French, Canadian and British leaders, he is the latest to make the trip to Beijing, at a time when American President Donald Trump is shaking up the established order, with customs duties and questioning old alliances.

“China has become essential for everyone,” guaranteed the senior German official before his departure on Tuesday. In front of his interlocutors, President Xi invariably presents his country as a reliable and constant partner and a champion of multilateralism and free trade. China itself fought a bitter commercial and diplomatic battle with the United States under Donald Trump, who was announced in Beijing at the end of March.

Europe’s largest economy, very dependent on exports, has suffered the effects of these global tensions in recent months. It is also suffering from growing pressure from Chinese competition: in China itself, where German industry has long sold its production, but also elsewhere in the world, as far as Germany, including in the automobile and high technology sectors.

Autonomous vehicles

Like its European Union partners, Germany is alarmed by the surge in Chinese electric vehicles and the dumping of Chinese production surpluses into Europe. “We have very specific concerns regarding our cooperation, which we want to improve and make fairer,” Friedrich Merz told the Chinese Prime Minister. The German Chancellor intends to pursue a policy of reducing risks and dependencies with China without seeking a “decoupling” which would turn against Germany.

Friedrich Merz will attend the presentation of autonomous vehicles by the manufacturer Mercedes on Thursday. He will then travel to Hangzhou, a technology hub, to visit the robotics group Unitree and the energy company Siemens Energy.

The chancellor also indicated on Wednesday evening that he had asked his interlocutors to “use their influence” on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. He also stressed the need not to deliver to Russia goods with potential dual use, civil and military. China denies any involvement in the conflict. President Xi contrasted with Friedrich Merz his country’s principled position advocating “dialogue and negotiation” while taking into account “the legitimate concerns of all parties”, reported the Xinhua news agency.

Friedrich Merz also said that any attempt to “reunify” China with Taiwan could “only take place peacefully, not by military means.”