Angela Merkel’s autobiography „Freedom“ was published in 30 countries this week. A Chinese version of Merkel’s political memoirs is available from Taiwanese publisher Infortress Publishing under the title: „自由: 回憶錄1954-2021“. In her book, Merkel reflects only relatively briefly on her relationship with China and her first encounters with Xi, whom she was able to impress with her Marxist-Leninist knowledge from her time in the GDR even before he took office as president. Remarkably, Merkel once again spoke out in favor of ratifying the CAI investment agreement with China. „I remain convinced that the agreement would mean more reliable framework conditions for investments compared to the current situation.“ The CAI agreement between the EU and China has been on ice for almost three years now – with the chances of reactivation approaching zero. The EU Parliament suspended work on the agreement in 2021 after Beijing imposed sanctions on several EU parliamentarians. There had already been skepticism beforehand due to clauses on human rights and working conditions in the CAI.