The German Foreign Ministry announced on Friday (October 24) that German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has postponed his scheduled visit to China which was supposed to take place this Sunday (October 26).
As a close ally of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Wadephul would have been the first minister to visit China in the new government led by Merz.
The spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, Kathrin Deschauer, said during the routine press conference on Friday, “We are postponing this trip to a later date.” The spokesperson pointed out that the direct reason for the cancellation of the trip was the inability to arrange sufficient high-level meetings.
The spokesperson explicitly stated, “The Chinese side could only confirm one meeting with the Chinese (Communist) Foreign Minister, and could not confirm any other additional meetings.” The German side believed that due to the inability to arrange sufficient high-level meetings, the expected results of this visit could not be achieved.
Although the spokesperson refused to disclose which side canceled the visit, she added that Germany is disappointed by this development. Bloomberg pointed out that this event is another blow to the Germany-China relations, which have been cooling down since conservative Chancellor Merz took office. Merz’s own planned visit to China had also not materialized earlier due to scheduling conflicts.
Media outlets such as The Guardian confirmed that behind the postponement of the trip lies the tense relations between the two parties on crucial issues:
Critical raw materials crisis:
The German Foreign Ministry spokesperson openly expressed concerns about the export restrictions on rare earths imposed by the Chinese Communist Party. The cancellation of this trip comes as China announced earlier this month an expansion of export controls on rare earths and other critical raw materials, which could have a debilitating impact on Germany’s manufacturing backbone, particularly the automotive industry. The rare earth shortage has caused serious production issues for many German companies, and Chancellor Merz discussed this issue with other leaders at the EU summit.
Semiconductor supply crisis:
German officials are simultaneously trying to resolve the supply issues with Nexperia, a semiconductor company. Shipments of semiconductor components provided by the company to German customers have been suspended due to a dispute between Beijing and the Netherlands. Anne Lorenzat, a spokesperson for the German Ministry of Economics, stated, “We are in dialogue with the company, industry associations, the Netherlands, and European partners, and are lobbying on behalf of German customers currently facing interrupted shipments of Nexperia components to China (Communist).” She emphasized the crucial importance of microelectronics to Germany’s supply chain and business security.
Intensifying political differences:
There are reports mentioning that the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticized Germany’s stance on the Taiwan issue on Friday, stating that Germany’s request to maintain the status quo without explicitly opposing “Taiwan independence” is equivalent to supporting “Taiwan independence” activities. Wadephul had previously criticized China’s unilateral attempts to change the regional status quo several times.
Position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict:
A German spokesperson emphasized that considering China’s “unparalleled influence in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” Germany had originally planned to use this visit to urge China to pressure Russia for a ceasefire.
On Thursday (October 23) before the trip was canceled, Reuters reported that the main purpose of the German Foreign Minister’s visit to China was to urge China to relax its export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors, emphasizing the importance of fair trade to the relationship between the two countries. Wadephul had planned to meet senior Chinese officials during the visit.