Merz arrives in Singapore to rebuild trade ties amid rising Asian tensions

Chancellor Friedrich Merz began a five-day diplomatic and economic tour of Asia on Monday, arriving in Singapore.

The itinerary is designed to secure supply chains and deepen security ties in a region facing increased instability. Merz is accompanied by 30 senior business representatives from Germany's industry, technology, defense, and energy sectors. While the visits are not officially linked, they coincide with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's separate trip to China.

Berlin has increased its focus on the Indo-Pacific region in recent years. This shift follows the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the second term of US President Donald Trump. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pursued similar outreach for over a decade. She aims to build new security alliances and trade partnerships in response to growing regional threats.

Merz will deliver a major foreign policy speech in Singapore and meet with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He travels to Japan on Wednesday for the German-Japanese Business Summit. Ben Ascione, an assistant professor at Waseda University in Tokyo, noted that Japan has long sought closer ties with Germany. He stated that Takaichi is following a blueprint started under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to counter uncertainties in the region.

Both nations face distinct but connected threats. Germany focuses on Russia, while Japan monitors China, North Korea, and Russia. Ascione observed that Germany's view of China's security threat has aligned more closely with Japan's perspective. Japan and Germany have already conducted joint military exercises, including air drills between German Eurofighter Typhoons and Japanese fighters in July 2024. The frigate Bayern also docked in Tokyo in May 2021, the first time a German Navy warship had visited in two decades.

Merz will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung after his stay in Japan. He plans to open the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in Seoul and visit the Demilitarized Zone. Saeme Kim, a research fellow at The Asan Institute for Policy Studies, expects security issues to dominate these talks. She noted that European nations are irritated by South Korea's efforts to improve relations with North Korea and Russia despite recent sanctions concerns.

South Korea continues to provide humanitarian aid to Pyongyang while seeking communication channels. Kim argued that these policies could damage Seoul's long-term interests. Merz may reference Germany's 1990 reunification as a potential model for the two Koreas, though Kim pointed out that the Korean peninsula remains technically at war with a nuclear power on the border. Merz's visit to the DMZ could be canceled due to tensions over a mine incident that injured three South Korean soldiers last month.