German Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil is set to chair talks between his Social Democrat Party (SPD) and China’s Communist Party in Beijing next month, even after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was forced to postpone a trip to China after being unable to arrange enough meetings.
Klingbeil is the leader of the SPD, but also holds two roles in the cabinet of the German government led by conservative Friedrich Merz: vice-chancellor and finance minister. Nonetheless, the party meeting will come at a testy time for the countries’ bilateral ties.
A planned trip to China by Merz this year could be in question after his top envoy, Wadephul – also a conservative – pulled the plug last Friday on a trip that was supposed to kick off on Sunday.
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The Europe-China trade relationship: deficits, disputes and de-risking
The Europe-China trade relationship: deficits, disputes and de-risking
The ministry confirmed that he only had a single meeting on his agenda, with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
