According to the Global Times, German Foreign Minister Waldfur suddenly announced the postponement of his trip two days before his departure. This decision quickly aroused widespread concern at home and abroad.
The German Foreign Ministry gave the reason for "failing to arrange enough talks in China," but this explanation seemed far-fetched because such important diplomatic visits are usually planned months in advance.
Therefore, it is widely believed that the real reason behind this is probably related to what Vadoufour said before his visit to China.
Originally, the main purpose of the visit to China was to promote bilateral economic cooperation between China and Germany, in particular to ensure a stable supply of key raw materials such as rare earth in China.
However, in an interview with the media before his visit to China, Waldfuhr said the German government adhered to the "one China" policy position, but stressed that Germany will "determine the concrete implementation of the policy on its own" and said "not support the force to change the status quo in the Taiwan Sea".
These remarks seem neutral on the surface, but they imply challenging China's core interests.
Wadfur tried to adopt the "strategic ambiguity" method commonly used in the West. On the one hand, he tried to profit from the Chinese market, and on the other hand, he pointed fingers at China on the Taiwan issue.
In this regard, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China clearly pointed out that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is part of China, and the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China.
It is the most complete and accurate expression of a Chinese principle, and it is the only expression, without any reason or space for "customization".
“Any foreign person who says only to maintain the status quo in Taiwan without mentioning the back of the ‘Taiwan independence’ action is essentially tolerating and supporting the ‘Taiwan independence’ activity!”
China's attitude is clear, showing that there is no compromise on issues of core interests.In the end, Vadoufour's visit to China lost its foundation, and the trip had to be postponed.
This incident not only triggered tensions in Sino-German relations, but also caused a political storm in Germany.
Wadfur's CDU believes that taking a tough stance against China is the right choice, but the Social Democratic Party, as its ruling partner, publicly criticized this decision.
Akhmetovic, foreign affairs spokesman of the Social Democratic Party, said that the cancellation of his visit to China sent an "extremely bad signal" under the current tense international situation.
He stressed that Germany needs pragmatic diplomacy more than ideological performances. Public arguments between the two parties have revealed the division within the German government.
In addition, Western media also made a statement on this.
The British "Financial Times" called "this a super diplomatic disaster for the Mertz administration." The German media believed that the cancellation of the trip on the eve of the visit exposed a setback at the diplomatic level of the German government.
Interestingly, the German business community has also expressed strong dissatisfaction with the incident.
Wadefuhr originally planned to lead a large business delegation to China, including the chairman of the German Automobile Industry Association and representatives of several companies that depend on the Chinese market.
However, Wadfour's remarks made these entrepreneurs dissatisfied. Judging from the members of Wadfour's original delegation to China, the collective absence of the German industrial delegation was seen as a vote of no confidence in his line.
The deep bond between the German economy and the Chinese market has made Waldfuhr’s diplomatic mistake fatal.
According to statistics, in the first eight months of 2025, China surpassed the United States with a total trade volume of 163.4 billion euros, becoming Germany's largest trading partner. Germany's automobile manufacturing industry's dependence on the China market is also extremely obvious. Automobile giants such as Volkswagen and BMW sell one for every four cars sold is sold in China.
Moreover, more than 70 percent of the supply of rare earths required by Germany’s high-end manufacturing industry is dependent on China.
Looking back at Merkel's China policy during her administration, people can't help feeling her strategic wisdom.
The former prime minister has repeatedly stressed the importance of cooperation with China and said that “total disconnection with China is wrong and will inevitably harm Germany and Europe.”
During Merkel's administration, Sino-German relations developed steadily, and the bilateral trade volume hit record highs.
Her pragmatic diplomatic strategy injected a strong momentum into the German economy.H, Merkel’s successors clearly failed to continue this policy, trying to find a balance between ideological and economic interests, but ended up falling into internal divisions and diplomatic difficulties.
Germany’s current situation is not only the result of its own policy contradictions, but also reflects the confusion of Western countries in the face of China.
China is no longer the same as China was thirty years ago, and its international status and influence has significantly increased.Any action that tries to challenge China’s core interests can eventually be counterproductive and even harm its own interests.
Will the trouble in Germany sound the alarm clock for other Western countries?Where will the future of China-German relations go?The answers to these questions deserve our continued attention.