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Germany’s finance minister has announced that China has given firm assurances that Berlin will continue to enjoy dependable access to rare earth materials, following the first visit to the country by a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s cabinet.
Relations between the two nations, once anchored by extensive economic cooperation, have become strained in recent years over accusations of unfair trading practices and protectionist measures.
A major sticking point has been Beijing’s tightening grip on rare earth exports, which are essential to industries including automotive manufacturing, energy technology and electronics.
After completing a trip to Beijing and Shanghai, Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said Chinese officials had provided “a clear commitment” guaranteeing stable access to rare earths and other strategic raw materials.
He stressed that Germany intends to hold Beijing to this pledge, which he described as a “very important” public undertaking. Klingbeil made the remarks during a stopover in Singapore after he visited China.
China remains the global leader in both the extraction and processing of rare earth elements, but recent months have seen Beijing introduce increasingly restrictive export rules amid rising geopolitical tensions, particularly with the United States.
Although China agreed to pause some of these limits after high-level talks between the Chinese and US presidents, German manufacturers had already begun to feel the strain of disrupted supply lines.
The fragility of German-Chinese relations was highlighted last month when Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul abruptly scrapped a planned trip to China, citing the inability to secure meetings with senior officials.
Even so, both countries appear keen to stabilise their economic partnership, especially as the United States intensifies its “America first” strategy under President Donald Trump.
Klingbeil said his participation in the annual financial dialogue in Beijing sent “a clear signal” of renewed cooperation and that his visit had helped bolster ties between the two economic powers.
