German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently concluded a five-day tour across Singapore, Japan, and South Korea with a business delegation in tow, aiming to deepen economic ties as Berlin attempts to diversify away from China. At the very same time, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was dispatched to Beijing to smooth bilateral ties, raising key questions about Germany's broader policy calculus in the region.
Dr Frederick Kliem, Southeast Asia Director at the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, joins The Morning Run to assess the trip.
While critiquing Merz's heavy emphasis on the Russia-Ukraine war in Asian capitals, he highlights the tactical ingenuity behind floating an interconnected network of free trade zones and pairing German industrial manufacturing with Asia’s tech and AI ecosystem into a networked "mini Guangdong".
He also explores whether genuine appetite exists in Asia for a larger German strategic footprint, and why Brussels’ own protectionist "Made in Europe" regulations could prove to be Berlin’s steepest hurdle in the region.
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