The Monocle Daily

Germany’s chancellor Merz pushes for more co-operation with China during Beijing visit

Feb 25, 2026
Alexander Gerlach, NYU political philosopher who analyses geopolitics and trade. Julie Norman, UCL lecturer on international relations and policy. They discuss Friedrich Merz’s Beijing visit and Germany’s trade deficit with China. They weigh Europe’s leverage over Beijing and why Western leaders are hedging against US unpredictability. They also debate China’s ties with Russia and regional security risks.
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ANECDOTE

Author's Low Turnout Book Tour Anecdote

  • Julie Norman described her varied book tour turnouts, including one very low-attendance event she could count on both hands.
  • She mentioned a stage adaptation at Palestine House and joked about awkward small audiences like exes' parents attending.
ANECDOTE

Why San Marino Still Exists

  • Alexander Gerlach recounted San Marino's survival as a tiny republic due to 19th-century diplomatic quirks during Italian unification.
  • He noted its small population, proud traditions, and comparison to other microstates like Liechtenstein and Monaco.
INSIGHT

China Sees Russia As Strategic Junior Partner

  • Beijing treats Russia as a geopolitically important neighbour and an ideological partner, albeit a junior one.
  • Alexander Gerlach frames Xi's affinity with Putin as anti-Western alignment that China leverages strategically.
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