Merkel's visit to China, a detail reveals his mindset: completely different from the visit to India!
Have you noticed that when Merkel arrived at the airport, he was very formal, with a well-tailored suit and a nicely tied tie. In contrast, on January 12th, when Merkel visited India, he was given a high-level welcome ceremony! But he intentionally did not wear a tie and left his suit unbuttoned when he got off the plane, appearing relaxed and careless. This shows that his mindset during this visit is completely different from when he visited India. Moreover, he brought an extremely large business team.
At that time, the Indian side provided a high-level welcome ceremony, with red carpets and honor guards. But Merkel? He intentionally did not wear a tie, left his suit open, and appeared relaxed and careless when he stepped off the plane. This contrast, according to Dao Ge, is not just a simple matter of dressing style.
Germany is the largest economy in Europe, but it has not been doing well in recent years. Energy crisis, manufacturing outflow, and inflation pressure have made Germany urgently seek new markets and partners. As the world's second-largest economy, China is one of Germany's most important trade partners, which is crucial for Germany. Data shows that the bilateral trade between China and Germany exceeded 300 billion euros in 2025, and China has been Germany's largest trading partner for many consecutive years. Merkel brought an extremely large business team this time, including executives from German giants such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Siemens, showing how seriously he took this visit.
India, although with huge market potential, currently has a much smaller actual cooperation scale and depth compared to China. The trade volume between Germany and India in 2025 was about 30 billion euros, only one-tenth of that between Germany and China. Moreover, the business environment, infrastructure, and policy stability in India still fall short of what German companies expect. Merkel's "casual" behavior in India somewhat reflects his low expectations for the actual results of that visit.
Dao Ge believes that every detail in international relations is worth pondering. Whether Merkel wore a tie or not, it may seem like a small matter, but it actually reflects the bigger picture. In this era full of uncertainty, every move by world leaders conveys important signals. And as observers, we need to look beyond these surface phenomena to understand the deeper logic behind them.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858151286808715/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.