Merz brings 30 business leaders to Asia tour
The German chancellor starts a five-day trip to Singapore, Japan, and South Korea to address supply chain risks and security ties.
By Christopher Singh ·
Germany is currently sending its top two political leaders to East Asia within the same week to address geopolitical instability. Chancellor Friedrich Merz began a five-day tour on Monday, starting in Singapore. He is accompanied by thirty senior businesspeople representing German industry, technology, defense, and energy sectors.
This diplomatic push occurs while President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is visiting China. Although the two trips are not officially linked, both aim to strengthen economic and security bonds during a period of global uncertainty. These conditions threaten the stability of international supply chains.
Merz arrived in Singapore to deliver a foreign policy speech and meet with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He will travel to Japan on Wednesday. There, he plans to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and participate in the German-Japanese Business Summit. Ben Ascione, an assistant professor of politics and international relations at Waseda University in Tokyo, said the visit is very much welcomed in Japan.
Ascione noted that Japan has sought new security allies for over a decade. This strategy began under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and continues under Takaichi. The current government is reacting to rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific and uncertainty surrounding the second administration of US President Donald Trump. Ascione stated that Germany’s focus has aligned more closely with Takaichi’s perception of the security threat posed by China.
Japan and Germany face different primary threats. Germany focuses on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while Japan watches China, North Korea, and Russia. Ascione said Takaichi will emphasize a rules-based order and a free and open Indo-Pacific. Japan has moved toward building supply chain resilience and deepening security partnerships. Germany’s military assets are also viewed favorably in Japan. The frigate Bayern docked in Tokyo in May 2021, marking the first German Navy warship visit there in twenty years. In July 2024, German Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft conducted air drills with Japanese fighters over northern Japan.
Merz will next visit South Korea to meet President Lee Jae-myung. He will open the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in Seoul. He is also scheduled to visit the Demilitarized Zone, which marks the border between North and South Korea. Security issues are expected to dominate these talks. Saeme Kim, a research fellow at The Asan Institute for Policy Studies, believes Merz may voice concerns about South Korea’s outreach toward North Korea and Russia.
Kim noted that many European countries are irritated by the Lee administration’s efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang and Moscow. This is happening even as North Korea sends troops to the conflict in Ukraine and forges closer economic ties with China and Russia. Seoul continues to provide humanitarian assistance to the North. Kim added that the government must consider that some of these policies may damage South Korea’s long-term interests.
Merz may offer insights from the German reunification experience of 1990. However, Kim pointed out that the two Koreas are technically still at war. Seoul also deals with an aspiring nuclear power on its border. The DMZ visit could be canceled due to lingering tensions. Last month, a North Korean mine injured three South Korean soldiers. Pyongyang has accused the South of staging that incident.
