By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BERLIN/BEIJING (Worthy News) – Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz has urged Chinese president Xi Jinping to back efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine amid concerns about China’s cooperation with Russia.
In their first phone call since he took office last month, Merz told Xi about “the common efforts of Europe and the EU to bring about a quick ceasefire in Ukraine“ and urged China to “support these efforts,” officials said.
According to the official Chinese readout of the call, Xi called for “stable and predictable ties” between the two countries.
Xi also “pointed out that the world today is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, with the convergence of changes and chaos in the international situation.
The two leaders also reportedly discussed the need for “fair competition” in their economic relations.
However, Ukraine was high on the agenda as China has a strategic agreement with Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
BRIGADE IN LITHUANIA
Friday’s talks came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Defense Minister Boris Pistorius attended a ceremony to mark the start of Germany’s first permanent foreign troop deployment since the Second World War.
In Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, on Thursday, they oversaw the launch of a new armored brigade aimed at protecting the NATO military alliance’s eastern flank against a perceived aggressive Russia.
As a crowd waved Lithuanian, German, and Ukrainian flags, the government officials watched the official formation of an armored brigade.
The new heavy combat unit, the 45th Tank Brigade, will comprise 4,800 German soldiers and 200 civilian staff.
It was announced in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and is due to reach full operational capacity by 2027, authorities announced.
The German operation marked a dramatic policy shift for a nation reluctant to permanently deploy troops outside its territory due to its war history.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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