Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche has called for a “trusting and open exchange” between Berlin and Beijing.

This is “very, very important” to her, the conservative politician said in Beijing during a meeting with Zhou Haibing, a Vice Minister at the National Development and Reform Commission, a powerful macroeconomic management agency under the Chinese government.

This agency is considered one of China’s most important economic planning bodies. Reiche referred to the “very good bilateral talks” that Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently held with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Now, she noted, it was her task to “pick up this thread.” Reiche also drew attention to Zhou’s background as a civil engineer, noting that the importance of structural stability and resilience would be well known to him.

“That is how we wish to shape our own relations,” the minister said. Reiche addressed the issues of energy security and security of supply. Both topics are also of great importance to China.

Reiche said she and her Chinese counterparts also discussed “reliable access” to critical minerals and “[supply] channels that our companies can rely on.

Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out against a conservative-led minority government supported by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

While voices in the CDU/CSU group have pointed out that there is, in fact, a majority in favor of right-wing policies, Scholz said this could not be the case.

“That is not so simple in Germany, not reasonably so, and we have decided against it;” he said at an event in Hamburg late on Tuesday.

“What is currently being discussed is quite oblivious to history, as there have been several instances where, under the opposite political circumstances, the right thing was done,” said Scholz, from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

He characterized the AfD as an anti-pluralist party against which the other parties must stand united, even if they themselves hold very different views.

He questioned whether the AfD, once in power, would ever be willing to relinquish it. “We must stand firm against this,” Scholz urged. Scholz did not mention the name of Torsten Albig, the former Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein and a fellow SPD member.

Over the weekend, Albig had advised his party to consider participating in minority governments supported by the AfD. 

Güten Tag from DW’s newsroom in Bonn.

We’re here to explore all things German that are in the news today, which include a visit to China by Economy Minister Katherine Reiche.

She said she wanted to two countries to work with one another more closely and fairly. 

For this and other news, stay with us here.