When Friedrich Merz commented on China in the past, he often accused other politicians of misconduct. He accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of not arranging a meeting with ousted former head of state Hu Jintao during his trip to China. The head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) explained at the time that it was not even known whether he was still alive. The approval of the Chinese state-owned shipping company Cosco to invest in a terminal at the port of Hamburg, mainly due to pressure from the Chancellery, was also a perfect opportunity for him to scold the government’s recklessness in its dealings with China. According to Merz, the Chancellor obviously still believes in the theory of change through trade. „He lacks the willingness to reassess the risks we are exposed to.“