China will buy up to 120 aircraft from European aviation giant Airbus, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said following talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday.Following talks with top

China and Germany have pledged to deepen ties despite differences over Russia’s war in Ukraine. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday in Beijing.

China’s play for U.S. allies has a problem: As Germany’s leader showed, Europe’s grievances with Beijing may run deeper than its frustration with Trump. China’s leader, Xi Jinping, tried to sell Germany on a future less tied to the United States and anchored instead in Chinese markets and technology.

Merz leads a business delegation to China’s tech centre seeking trade gains and deeper economic ties despite ongoing strategic tensions.

Friedrich Merz continued his first trip to China since taking office as the German Chancellor with a tour Thursday in the historical Forbidden City at the center of Beijing.

By Andreas Rinke BEIJING, Feb 25 (Reuters) - China and Germany want to deepen cooperation, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang said in Beijing on Wednesday, as Merz began a visit aimed at resetting ties against the backdrop of a widening trade imbalance.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s trip will test his ability to address tensions between the countries, at a time of strain between Europe and Washington.

Before boarding his plane in Germany, Merz said he would seek to forge a “balanced, reliable, regulated and fair” partnership with Xi, adding that he would address China’s “export restrictions” and competitive “distortions”.