Details of the talks between Merz and Xi

According to the German government press service, the two leaders held constructive telephone talks.

Merz and Xi acknowledged the importance of economic relations between Germany and China during their conversation.

The German Chancellor pointed out that against this background, the principles of fair competition and reciprocity cannot be ignored.

In addition, the leaders voiced their positions on international and regional issues — in particular, they discussed Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Chancellor reported on the joint efforts of Europe and the United States to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible and called for support for these efforts, the report says.

According to Merz himself, attempts to achieve a ceasefire are still at an early stage.

He also warned that they could drag on for months.