German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made his first visit to Beijing, followed by a trip to a Washington. In China, he sought to rebalance a trade relationship increasingly tilted in China’s favor. With Chinese imports far outpacing exports — and concerns mounting over industrial overcapacity, subsidies and the hollowing out of Europe’s manufacturing base — Merz faces growing pressure to address what many call a new “China shock,” even as he navigates Trump’s tumultuous foreign policy. In this episode, we examine Germany’s economic dilemma, German-China ties, and whether Taiwan’s security could become entangled in Europe’s evolving relationship with China.
*Recorded on February 26, 2026 at 3:15pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Producer: Tina Hsu
Our guests:
Reinhard Peter Biedermann
- Tamkang University Department of Global Politics and Economics Professor
Marc Cheng
- Friends of Europe in Taiwan Managing Supervisor
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