German Chancellor Merz arrived in China on the 25th, leading a large economic and trade delegation for a visit that concluded on the 26th. After meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he revealed that China would purchase 120 aircraft from Airbus. According to Chinese state media, several German companies also plan to further open up cooperation with Chinese tech firms, with concrete cooperation plans or clear intentions already in place.
According to Deutsche Welle, following his meeting with Xi Jinping, Merz stated, "We have just received the news that the Chinese leadership will place an additional large order with Airbus, totaling as many as 120 aircraft." He also pointed out that other German companies may also sign contracts: "We have more contracts in the pipeline that are expected to be concluded."
Airbus operates an assembly plant in Tianjin, China, which by the end of last year had delivered over 780 aircraft. Currently, one third of all Airbus jets operating in China come from Tianjin. A second assembly line went into operation at the end of last year and is expected to help boost Airbus A320 series monthly production capacity to 75 by 2027.
Merz also emphasized that Germany's trade deficit with China has quadrupled over the past five years to more than 80 billion euros (36.71 billion ringgit), and that this is unhealthy. He has discussed ways to reduce the deficit with Chinese leaders. Regarding the Russia-Ukraine issue, Merz stated after the meeting, "We know the signals sent by China are taken very seriously in Moscow," and he welcomed the "clear commitment to peace in the region" he heard in Beijing.