German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has postponed his visit to China after Beijing confirmed only a single meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, limiting the discussions Germany had planned.

The trip, initially scheduled for last week, would have been the first by a minister from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative government.

Germany expressed regret over the change, emphasizing that it had intended to address multiple issues, including Beijing’s increasingly aggressive Indo-Pacific policy and tensions over Taiwan.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson criticized Germany’s position on Taiwan, suggesting that calls to maintain the status quo implicitly support independence, the DW has reported.

The visit comes amid broader EU-China trade tensions, including China’s rare-earth export controls and reactions to the Netherlands’ move to take over chipmaker Nexperia, which have raised concerns about European supply chain disruptions.