Steinmeier to Make First China Visit in Eight Years for Talks With Xi

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will travel to China next week for a five-day state visit, his first trip to the country in nearly eight years. The visit, which runs from October 27 to October 31, will include talks in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who invited him, and meetings with other senior Chinese leaders.

China announced the trip on Friday. It comes as Steinmeier approaches the end of his time in office: his second term as Germany’s head of state concludes in March 2027. The visit is the latest high-level contact between two of the world’s largest economies, whose trading relationship remains one of the most significant in global commerce.

FAKTA: Steinmeier China visit at a glance

• Who: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping
• When: October 27 to October 31, 2026 — a five-day state visit
• Where: Beijing, plus a trip to eastern Anhui province
• Meetings: Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee
• Last visit: Steinmeier last travelled to China in 2018
• Relations: China and Germany established diplomatic ties in 1972, 54 years ago
• Trade: Bilateral trade reached $211.11 billion in 2025

A visit near the end of a decade in office

Steinmeier has served as Germany’s president for almost ten years, a tenure that ends in March next year. His return to China after an eight-year gap gives the trip a valedictory character, but officials on both sides have framed it as a working visit aimed at the future of the relationship rather than a farewell gesture.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Xi had invited Steinmeier and described the German leader as an old friend of the Chinese people. She said he had actively contributed to the development of relations between the two countries over many years.

What the Steinmeier China visit aims to achieve

According to Beijing, the visit is intended to strengthen mutual trust, deepen cooperation and encourage joint innovation. Mao said China hopes the trip will support steady progress in China-Germany relations and contribute to stronger ties between China and Europe as a whole, as well as wider international cooperation.

Beyond the Beijing talks, Steinmeier will travel to Anhui province in eastern China. The regional leg underlines the breadth of the exchange, built up over more than five decades.

A relationship more than five decades old

China and Germany established diplomatic relations in 1972, and 2026 marks 54 years of formal ties. Mao said close cooperation between the two countries had helped build strategic understanding and brought practical benefits to both peoples.

The economic dimension remains central: bilateral trade reached $211.11 billion in 2025, making the partnership one of the weightiest in world trade. The upcoming talks will give both sides an opportunity to review that relationship and discuss areas of shared interest. For readers following Europe’s engagement with Asia, more international coverage is available on the Watan News English homepage.