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Angela Merkel

EU has wish list for Trump, but support for tough China agenda will be expected

In Brussels, there is an expectation that the US election result could usher in a shifting balance of power in Europe.

7 Nov 2024 - 8:47AMvideocam

China, EU must reason their way out of EV dispute: ex-Merkel adviser

4 Oct 2024 - 4:35PMvideocam

EU cranks up the pressure as China’s Xi Jinping prepares for 3-nation visit

3 May 2024 - 10:16PMvideocam

Opinion | Why Germany has little choice but to continue to cosy up to China

The ugly truth is that the power of Germany’s economy is heavily connected to its business relationship with China and, with that, Scholz’s political fortunes

19 Apr 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

Li Keqiang: ex-premier had heart attack during Shanghai swim, sources say

Two sources say Li – whose body has been flown to Beijing – had previously had coronary artery bypass surgery.

28 Oct 2023 - 12:58AMvideocam

Opinion | Despite ‘de-risking’ talk, Scholz’s Germany has not turned away from China

Two years into Scholz’s government, high-level dialogue has continued with Beijing and German businesses are still making long-term investments in China.

10 Oct 2023 - 8:30PM

Language Matters | From gerrymander to macroning, a short history of eponyms

Machiavellian and gerrymander are examples of eponyms – words derived from people’s names. Lisa Lim considers some recently coined eponyms, and how their meaning can quickly evolve.

29 Apr 2023 - 2:15PM

French President Emmanuel Macron has spawned an eponym, “macroner”, a verb meaning “to do a Macron”. Historically such coinages have been common, from Machiavellian to gerrymander. Photo: Getty Images

Opinion | A German anti-China policy? Don’t hold your breath

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock may be taking a hard line on China, but Chancellor Olaf Scholz will have the final say. Scholz is aware that the economic reality simply does not allow him to meet Baerbock and her party’s demands on China.

21 Apr 2023 - 4:19AMvideocam

Germany ends nuclear era as last reactors power down

Europe’s largest economy will turn off its last three nuclear reactors on Saturday, even as it seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels and manage an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

15 Apr 2023 - 6:50PM

Editorial | US intelligence fiasco a wake-up call for all

Hypocrisy of outrage over China’s alleged spy balloon exposed by leaks that show Washington has been snooping on friends.

15 Apr 2023 - 5:12AM

US National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, 21, of Swansea, Massachusetts, has been arrested in connection with the leak of classified US documents. Photo: Jack Teixeira

Russian aggression inexcusable but West not ‘bystanders’: Singapore minister

Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said Western powers are not ‘uninvolved bystanders who had no role to play’ in the ongoing conflict, citing the West’s decision to expand Nato, as an example.

9 Mar 2023 - 5:50AM

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Singapore’s Minister of Law K Shanmugam said Russian aggression in Ukraine is inexcusable but West not ‘bystanders’. Photo: AFP/File

Germany’s Merkel receives Unesco peace prize

Organisers said former German Chancellor Angela Merkel showed political courage in welcoming refugees who had fled conflict in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

9 Feb 2023 - 12:49AM

Germany’s defence minister resigns amid Ukraine criticism

Critics have long portrayed Christine Lambrecht as out of her depth but Chancellor Olaf Scholz stood by her, describing her last month as ‘a first-class defence minister’.

16 Jan 2023 - 6:55PM

Opinion | Germany’s Scholz needs new path on Europe and China to avoid old failures

The German chancellor has faced a series of challenges in his first year in office, putting his diplomatic skills and political pragmatism to the test. His efforts to defend German interests and compete for the leadership of Europe have drawn the ire of allies and muddled European policy.

22 Dec 2022 - 5:24AM

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) and French President Emmanuel Macron inspect an honour guard during a welcome ceremony at the Chancellery in Berlin on May 9. Scholz’s attempts at protecting German interests and competition for European leadership with Macron have complicated Europe’s efforts to reach a coherent China policy. Photo: AFP

Germany backs port bid by China’s Cosco shipping despite security warnings

Compromise decision by Olaf Scholz cabinet follows controversy at home exposing divisions on China policy and EU warnings on strong Beijing ties.

26 Oct 2022 - 11:26PMvideocam

Containers piled up at Hamburg port, Germany’s busiest and Europe’s third-largest. Photo: AP

Opinion | Germany and China’s 50-year relationship takes a disappointing turn

After half a century of mutually beneficial Sino-German ties, Berlin and Beijing find themselves on opposite sides of the geopolitical divide. With Germany taking aim at China over Xinjiang and Taiwan, it appears to be choosing idealism over pragmatism – a stance that is unlikely to pay dividends.

14 Oct 2022 - 1:41AM

Germany’s Angela Merkel to receive UN prize

Ex-chancellor awarded prestigious Nansen Refugee Award for showing what could be achieved when politicians act supportively and work on solutions to world’s challenges.

10 Oct 2022 - 7:39PM

Lunar | Why expect Liz Truss to tackle sexism and women’s issues especially?

Expecting women to tackle it better sets up the view that female leaders somehow fail if they don’t advance women’s rights, when men don’t face such pressure. But isn’t tackling institutional sexism and ensuring women’s safety and access to equal opportunities every leader’s job?

9 Sep 2022 - 4:27PMvideocam

Liz Truss speaks as foreign secretary during the Conservative Party Spring Conference at Blackpool Winter Gardens in Blackpool, northwest England on March 19. Before she became foreign secretary, she was the secretary of state for international trade, the president of the board of trade, and the minister for women and equalities, all at the same time. Photo: AFP

Opinion | Putin’s war must not be allowed to undo decades of Sino-German cooperation

China is not Russia. Its economic ties with Germany run far deeper, and Germany needs good relations with Beijing to retain its leading position in Europe.

14 Jul 2022 - 2:36AMvideocam

Merkel defends Russia legacy amid Ukraine war: ‘Nothing to apologise for’

The former German chancellor insists she was not naive in her dealings with Putin, in her first major interview since stepping down.

8 Jun 2022 - 7:49AM

EU lawmakers push for ‘genocide’ designation in Xinjiang

The motion enjoys the support of four of the biggest parties in the European Parliament, meaning it appears likely to succeed in Thursday’s vote.

7 Jun 2022 - 3:51PMvideocam

An undated image released by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation on May 24 shows detainees guarded by police as they recite or sing at the Tekes County Detention Centre in Xinjiang. Photo: AFP/Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Olaf Scholz’s SPD hits record low as rivals CDU win German state election

The opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) won the most votes in Sunday’s election in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state.

16 May 2022 - 3:40AM

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Photo: Getty Images / TNS

Germany’s Scholz visits Japan, not China, on first Asia trip

The chancellor’s predecessor Angela Merkel, in contrast, made her first visit to China, which she travelled to twice as often as Japan.

29 Apr 2022 - 3:24AM

China-Germany investment enters new era of uncertainty post-Merkel

Germany is still a go-to destination for Chinese firms looking to acquire hi-tech goods, but broader tensions between Beijing and Europe are clouding the investment outlook.

4 Mar 2022 - 2:53AMvideocam

Opinion | German U-turn on Russia shows appeasement does not work

For decades, German leaders failed to acknowledge Putin’s ambitions, even when presented with evidence of it in Russian aggression in Georgia and Crimea. It took a war in Ukraine and a different leadership for Germany to finally wake up.

3 Mar 2022 - 8:19AMvideocam

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive for a joint news conference after talks in the Kremlin in Moscow on August 20 last year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Germany re-elects Frank-Walter Steinmeier as president

Chancellor Olaf Scholz, noting the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, called Steinmeier the ‘right president at exactly the right time’.

14 Feb 2022 - 12:37AM

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier waves next to his wife Elke Buedenbender after his re-election as Germany’s President in Berlin, Germany on February 13. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Opinion | Why US can’t expect the world to follow its China and Russia policy

US pressure on European countries to derail the bloc’s investment deal with China and cut Russia out of Europe, so as to maintain its own sphere of influence, will not succeed in a changing world order.

19 Jan 2022 - 2:04AMvideocam

Opinion | Why Germany is unlikely to change its stance on China

Germany foreign minister Annalena Baerbock wants an end to the pragmatic approach to foreign policy that characterised Angela Merkel’s tenure. But new chancellor Scholz appears more inclined to follow his predecessor’s line.

17 Dec 2021 - 1:30AM

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Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was first elected in 2005, making her the longest-serving leader in the European Union. Her party, the Christian Democratic Union, is the major party of the country's centre-right, although the nature of German politics means coalition governments are common. In leading her party to three election victories, Merkel has developed a reputation for pragmatism and resolute but low-key leadership. Within Europe, she has been a committed proponent of greater integration and cooperation, while also emerging as one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most staunch geopolitical opponents. Perhaps the greatest test of her leadership came during the European refugee crisis, when she elected to open Germany's borders, despite significant backlash. Upon Donald Trump's election as US president, many of trump's critics suggested Merkel had become the new "leader of the free world".

Born

17 Jul 1954

Industry

Politics

Job Title

Retired Chancellor of Germany

last updated:

7 October, 2024