Angela Merkel in Beijing talks driverless cars and trade

Xinhua News Agency’s home page and the top story on central state media (English, Chinese) are about German Chancellor Angela Merkel meeting Xi Jinping in Beijing, where he told her, “China will work with Germany to push bilateral ties to a higher level.” This is Merkel’s 11th visit to China, and comes after several statements from her about the need for Europe to look out for itself in an age of uncertainty about America.

• “China and Germany…vowed to boost cooperation on driverless cars and were united in their opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist trade policies, but they remain at odds over Beijing’s heavy-handed approach to human rights cases,” reports the South China Morning Post.
• Premier Li Keqiang 李克强 said that “China welcomes German companies,” according to the Associated Press, which called Merkel’s visit an opportunity for China “to try to recruit an ally in its trade feud with U.S. President Donald Trump.”