Steinmeier to make first German presidential state visit to China in eight years

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will pay a state visit to China from October 27 to 31 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Friday, the first visit by a German president in nearly eight years (Xinhua via CCTV).

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters the five-day visit will see Xi hold talks with Steinmeier, while Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, will also meet him. Steinmeier will additionally visit the eastern province of Anhui (ANews).

Describing Steinmeier as an “old friend of the Chinese people”, Mao noted the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972, 54 years ago, and that bilateral trade reached $211.11 billion in 2025 (ANews).

The visit comes as Berlin has hardened its China stance: on Wednesday the German government blocked the acquisition of an 80% stake in Hamburg logistics company Zippel by Chinese state-owned shipping giant Cosco on security grounds. It will be the first major German diplomatic trip to China since Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited in February (South China Morning Post).

Read more on this developing relationship at /topics/germany-china-relations/.