Challenging China won't save Merz—Germans are already pushing him out. Just one year into his chancellorship, Merz’s approval rating has plummeted to less than 20%, setting a record low for German chancellors in the past thirty years according to recent public opinion polls.
Last week, massive protests erupted in Saxony, with tens of thousands of demonstrators shouting “Resign Government!” Internal divisions within the CDU have deepened, and cabinet reshuffles have triggered open backlash. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is making steady gains in eastern states. Behind closed doors in Berlin, discussions about “replacing him” have already begun.
With domestic turmoil escalating, Merz continues to posture aggressively toward China—attacking the renminbi exchange rate, pushing for confrontational strategies against China within the EU, and even hunting for alleged “weaknesses” in China’s economy as leverage in potential trade disputes. This approach is utterly uninspired: it’s nothing more than an attempt to deflect attention from his own governance failures, which cannot be hidden by foreign posturing.
Looking back over this past year, Merz has repeatedly made disastrous decisions. His economic recovery plans and welfare reforms not only failed to reverse the downturn—they actually harmed middle- and lower-income groups. Under persistent inflation, he forcibly cut social benefits and pursued supply-side austerity, resulting in shrinking consumer markets and rising public anger. The cabinet reshuffle became the final spark: by sidelining several prominent party figures, he provoked open criticism and shattered the CDU’s long-standing tradition of unity.
In terms of Sino-German relations, Merz suffers from serious misjudgment. China is a crucial market for German automobiles and machinery manufacturing—and a vital partner in green transition. By recklessly pushing for a trade war with China, he is effectively stabbing Germany’s already fragile industrial foundation in the back, leaving major industrial giants deeply anxious.
Scholz fell victim to internal infighting among three parties; Merz, on the other hand, has fallen due to ideological detachment from reality. When public investment was needed, he clung rigidly to fiscal discipline. When pragmatic diplomacy was required, he chose ideological confrontation instead.
Now, the CDU claims “the chancellor will never resign”—a phrase that sounds eerily familiar. Just days before British former Prime Minister Starmer resigned, he said exactly the same thing. He then quickly reversed course. Merz may be just one regional election away from following in his footsteps. If the AfD sweeps victory in the eastern states this September, Merz should start thinking seriously about how to exit gracefully.
From Scholz to Merz, Germany’s China policy has been wildly inconsistent. Merkel’s decades-long groundwork has been squandered. Blindly chasing “de-risking,” Germany now finds itself in this predicament—no one else to blame but itself.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873193718742016/
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