Germany · Full chronicle and history

On November 8, the quarterfinals of the 2026 WTT Frankfurt Champions concluded. Kuai Man, Chen Xingtong, Chen Yi, and Wen Ruibo were defeated by Hina Hayata, Miwa Harimoto, Sabine Winter, and Lin Yun-ju, respectively. No Chinese national team players advanced to the semifinals in either the men's or women's singles, while three players from the Japanese team reached the women's singles semifinals.

On November 1, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated in an ARD interview that during his meeting with Xi Jinping on October 30, he asked about rumors regarding a trilateral summit between China, the US, and Russia to discuss the war in Ukraine. Xi Jinping appeared confused, asked where the rumors came from, and stated that no such summit was being prepared, emphasizing that this is a European conflict and that Europeans must sit at the negotiating table.

According to a Nikkei Asia report on October 24, against the backdrop of intensifying competition among Chinese automakers and Europe's expanding armaments, Volkswagen's 125-year-old plant in Osnabrück, Germany, plans to halt car production in the summer of 2027 and shift to producing air-defense equipment and parts. In cooperation with Rafael, it aims to retain about 1,200 of its 1,800 jobs. Stickers opposing the conversion to military production have appeared near the plant.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang urged people to maintain responsible optimism about the development of artificial intelligence at a conference in Berlin on Thursday, and criticized claims that it will end human civilization.

On October 21, BMW launched a voluntary redundancy scheme in Germany, with compensation for some employees reaching about 4.87 million yuan. A large number of employees logged into the internal system to check their compensation amounts, causing the system to become congested, and the related topic trended on Weibo's hot search.

On October 20, 2026, German Chancellor Merz announced that Germany will launch the largest modernization process in its modern history. The German government has pledged to invest more than 500 billion euros before 2030, aimed at strengthening defense capabilities and comprehensively upgrading military infrastructure. According to the tweet, this move is an important strategic deployment by Germany in response to the current security situation and in raising the level of its military defense.

German Chancellor Merz publicly stated that Russia and its allies, from North Korea to Iran, are not only attacking Ukraine but are attacking, even more aggressively, the most precious achievements since World War II, including fundamental values such as human rights, democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. The remarks have drawn widespread attention and discussion from the outside world.

According to X user @__Inty__, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder publicly stated that trying to make Russia the "sole loser" is neither meaningful nor likely to succeed. He believes such a move could instead plunge Europe into a situation unfavorable to all parties, and stressed that Russia should also be regarded as part of Europe.

On October 17, residents of Berlin, Germany, held a rally in the rain, holding umbrellas and unfurling banners against animal abuse, and setting up candles and placards to show support for "Wangwang" and other abused animals.

Maximilian Krah, a member of Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), used a single word to evaluate several world leaders in a recent interview. He called Trump "the boss," Putin "the bad guy," Xi Jinping "the competitor," Zelensky "the godfather," Netanyahu "a fighter fighting for himself," Erdogan "wisdom," and described Friedrich Merz, chairman of Germany's CDU, as "a disappointment."

According to X account @clashreport, Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), publicly spoke out on the Ukraine war, arguing that it is wrong to continue funding a war that has already been lost.

Maximilian Krah, a member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), publicly stated that Europe is undermining its own future through economic mismanagement and confrontation with Russia, and called for a closer strategic partnership with Turkey.

Germany is pushing the EU to propose safeguard measures by the end of the year to impose quotas on Chinese imports of chemical products, machinery, and potentially pharmaceuticals, in addition to planned quotas on Chinese hybrid vehicles.

On October 15, 2026, German Chancellor Merz publicly voiced his opposition to the idea of placing the Russian assets frozen by the EU under U.S. control. He stressed that these assets were frozen in Europe and should remain in Europe, and said that this is Europe's own affair and should be decided by Europe itself.

Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), publicly stated that the party advocates resuming imports of diesel, natural gas, and oil from Russia. Weidel said the move is intended to ease energy prices for German consumers and businesses in response to the current pressure on energy supplies.

Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), made a public statement on October 15, 2026, claiming that fewer than 10% of Germans currently support continuing aid to Ukraine, and on this basis argued that 90% of German taxpayers oppose continuing to drain German fiscal funds in Ukraine, calling on the government to take corresponding action.

Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), publicly criticized the German government, stating that while Germany is almost single-handedly funding a proxy war against the nuclear power Russia, other European partners are already quietly backing away; she accused the German government of approving successive sanctions packages that are ultimately destroying Germany's own interests.

According to @clashreport, Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), publicly stated that Germany's defense lies neither in the Donbas nor in the Hindu Kush. She warned that by constantly deepening its involvement in the conflict, Germany risks turning the country itself into a party to the war and a target of attack.

Maximilian Krah, a member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, made controversial remarks regarding the war in Ukraine during an interview with Clash Report. He compared Nazi Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union to the current German stance calling for an end to the war in Ukraine, and criticized those who label him a "new Hitler" for holding double standards on the issue of war.

Maximilian Krah, a lawmaker for Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), said in an interview with Clash Report that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is a special territory. He claimed that neither Turkey nor Germany recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign state, and that Germany should not do so either, stressing that China is a reality.

According to Maximilian Krah, a member of the German Bundestag for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), who spoke to Clash Report, they have received statements from many U.S. officials, and even in informal settings the American side clearly considers them the only rational force in Germany, and the Trump administration is protecting them.

According to a report by Clash Report, Maximilian Krah, a Bundestag member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), said in an interview that if Germany wants to restore some of its competitiveness, it must curtail union rights and amend labor law to achieve greater flexibility, noting that under current regulations Germany cannot compete with China in the electric vehicle sector.

Maximilian Krah, a member of Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), said in an interview with Clash Report that Germany and Russia have a long history of energy cooperation, with natural gas trade beginning as far back as 1972 during the Soviet era, and that the Soviet Union always honored its contracts. Krah argued that even during the Cold War, Russia performed well as an energy partner, making it hard to view it as a bad choice.

Luca Maurice Strauf, a board member of the youth wing of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), posted a map on German Unity Day showing expanded German territory, including Alsace-Lorraine and parts of Austria, Poland, Hungary, and Italy, with the caption 'German unity means a Germany that unites all German territories.' Following the controversy, the member was forced to resign from his position.

German Chancellor Merz said that Germany will no longer stand idly by while other countries damage its economy through high subsidies, artificial currency devaluation, overcapacity, and aggressive pricing. He warned that any country seeking a trade conflict with Germany will find that Germany will now defend itself.

In a public statement, German Chancellor Merz responded to questions regarding funding for Ukraine. He emphasized that every euro of aid provided by Germany to Ukraine has not been diverted from domestic social welfare or education spending, thereby refuting claims that aid to Ukraine impacts domestic livelihood investment.

A court in Hamburg, Germany, has begun the trial of a Ukrainian man suspected of playing a central role in the 2022 operation to sabotage the "Nord Stream" natural gas pipelines, who faces war crimes charges.

According to an interview with China Science Daily, Gao Shiqiang, the student who received the Nobel Prize call, is currently the head of an optogenetics research group at the University of Würzburg in Germany, and has co-published multiple papers with his award-winning supervisor Nagel.

German Foreign Minister Wadephul said that although Russia has the intention of dominating Germany, it lacks the economic strength to achieve this goal. He drew an analogy with the 1980s and pointed out that Russia also lacks the corresponding values.

The University of Munich released experimental data in which 704 people practiced fraction arithmetic with an AI assistant; by prompting users to identify the source of their answers, the likelihood of directly copying the AI's answer was reduced to below one half.

Former German intelligence chief Hanning was arrested on suspicion of treasonous espionage, with investigations showing he had maintained long-term contact with former Chinese military officer Wang Jianzheng and was suspected of passing classified documents.

The German Federal Prosecutor's Office announced the arrest of former intelligence chief Hanning and his former assistant Manfred Ti, accusing them of allegedly providing classified documents to a foreign intelligence agency over a long period.

On October 5, Chao Yen-ching, head of Taiwan's office in Munich, told the Central News Agency that the Chinese consulate-general in Munich had asked a local literary museum to cancel a lecture by Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-tzu and had offered to fund a Chinese writer as a replacement, a request the museum refused; the museum director confirmed this in person.

German authorities announced the arrest of former Federal Intelligence Service chief August Hanning and a former assistant, accusing them of suspected treason and espionage.

On October 1, Yang Shuangzi's lecture was held in Munich, and the on-site interpreter rendered the huge threat from China that she mentioned as "a very big neighbor," with the host adding that it referred to China. Chunshan Publishing said that subsequent events will instead have Lin Yu-li serve as interpreter.

According to reports, Germany and France are finalizing a joint document this week, calling on the European Commission to accelerate the development of trade tools similar to the U.S. Section 301.

Around September 20, Germany concluded that it would continue to be a target of Russian hybrid attacks, and its National Security Council decided to take new measures to combat espionage and sabotage and to protect critical infrastructure.

On September 15, German Chancellor Merz criticized China at the Berlin Entrepreneurs' Conference, stating that through state intervention, overcapacity, and export subsidies, China has driven the EU's trade deficit with China to over 300 billion euros. EU leaders plan to discuss in October whether to deploy trade defense instruments.

On September 16, a blogger posted a video showing the food purchased at a German Aldi supermarket with one hour of a cleaner's wages, and comparing the difference between German cashiers working seated and domestic employees working standing, sparking discussion among domestic employees and netizens about workers' rights and cheap dividends.

On September 16, a blogger showed buying food at a German Aldi supermarket with the hourly wage of a German cleaner, 25 euros (about 200 yuan) an hour, sparking discussion among Chinese netizens about wage levels at home.

On September 10, 2026, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (referred to as "Stoltenberg" in the text) said in a public speech in Berlin, Germany that if China takes military action against Taiwan or other areas of the first island chain, Xi Jinping will first call Russian President Putin, using Russia's power in Europe to constrain NATO. Stoltenberg emphasized that Indo‑Pacific and European security are increasingly interlinked, the United States feels its military resources are being stretched, and Europe must take on more conventional defence responsibilities. The remarks aim to warn the West of the risk of simultaneous pressure on the Indo‑Pacific and European fronts.

On September 10, 2026, during the auto parts expo held in Frankfurt, Germany, several Chinese participants ate the Chinese boxed meals provided on site and subsequently experienced vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms, with preliminary suspicion of food poisoning. On-site staff did not immediately disclose the exact number of cases, and those affected have gone to local hospitals for treatment. German health authorities have intervened to investigate.

On September 12, 2026, a Bilibili netizen posted a video showing them shopping at a mid-to-high-end supermarket in Germany using the hourly wage of an outsourced security guard (approximately €22-24). The video documented purchases including pizza, bread, marinated pork ribs, salmon, steak, buttered toast, 1 liter of whole milk, and two kiwis, totaling €24.85. The video sparked a flurry of comments discussing Germany's purchasing power and recent discussions about the implementation of the two-day weekend.

In a special feature on the 50th anniversary of Mao Zedong's death, Deutsche Welle quoted commentary stating that Xi Jinping learned lessons of power from the Cultural Revolution and used this as a political consideration for maintaining Mao Zedong's historical status.

On the evening of September 4, 2026, a dissident action group projected slogans on the outer wall of the Chinese Consulate General in Frankfurt in support of those who had been arrested. Chinese consulate staff gave chase and tried to block them with black umbrellas, and German police later arrived to help the protesters leave the scene.

After Germany closed the Russian Consulate-General in Bonn and expelled its diplomats, Russia retaliated in kind, announcing the closure of the German Consulate-General in Saint Petersburg, with all personnel inside expelled from the country as well.

On the evening of August 23, “China Action · The Road of Light Coverage” projected photos of Niu Tengyu onto the Bundestag complex and the Berlin TV Tower in Berlin, Germany, marking the seventh anniversary of his arrest, after the same projection had already appeared at the Chinese Embassy in Germany.

On the evening of August 22, 2026, members of a civil group projected a large photo of Niu Tengyu and slogans onto the outer wall of the Chinese Embassy in Germany in Berlin, protesting his wrongful imprisonment and torture and demanding that the Chinese government release him immediately.

On August 9, 2026, Reuters reported that in the first half of 2026 German exports to China fell by more than 12% year on year to below 37 billion euros, imports from China grew 8.9%, and the trade deficit with China widened to about 55 billion euros.

An attack-type drone carrying explosives was found near Leipzig Airport in Germany, suspected to target a Ukrainian transport aircraft. The German military then intervened and launched an investigation, confirming the drone was dispatched by Russia. This incident has led to highly tense Germany-Russia relations.

In early August, an explosive-laden attack drone targeting Ukrainian transport planes suddenly appeared near Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany and was subsequently shot down by the German military. Following an investigation confirming that Russia was responsible, Germany announced the expulsion of dozens of diplomatic personnel from the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, triggering a diplomatic storm of mutual expulsions of diplomats between the two countries.

After an investigation into the Leipzig drone incident confirmed that Russia was responsible, the German government announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn, ordering dozens of diplomatic staff to leave the country within a set deadline as retaliation against Russia.

On July 8, 2026, Li Jing, a victim of the case in which Chinese student Zhou Tong drugged and raped women while secretly filming them in Germany, spoke out publicly in an exclusive interview with BBC Chinese, recounting the ordeal and her psychological trauma, and calling for an end to the expectation that victims remain silent.

On the evening of July 4, Berlin, Germany, illuminated an American flag-themed light show. The Mayor and the Foreign Minister issued statements emphasizing Berlin's gratitude as a city of freedom for American support, and that post-war Germany was built upon the values of the Declaration of Independence.

In an interview with Voice of America, German Navy Commodore Axel Stöurwärdt stated that as Russia and China grow increasingly close, security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region has become inextricably linked.

On June 9, 2026, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen led a delegation to Germany and visited the German Bundestag. Invited by the cross-party parliamentary Taiwan friendship group, she held a meeting and conveyed to the German side her stance of safeguarding democracy, the rule of law, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

On June 9, 2026, Taichung City and Görlitz District of Saxony, Germany, signed a memorandum of friendly exchange between the two places in Berlin. The two sides agreed to carry out cooperation in machinery manufacturing, the semiconductor integrated circuit supply chain, and the net-zero energy transition.

The European Central Bank has released a working paper showing that AI investors collectively coordinate redemptions and divestments during model interactions, even when economic fundamentals are strong.

In May 2026, following the trial of a Chinese student in Germany for drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women on several occasions, the German Federal Cabinet passed a draft law increasing the minimum statutory sentence for rape committed using date-rape drugs from three years to five years.

On May 13, 2026, the German federal government passed a draft amendment to the Criminal Code, stipulating that committing sexual assault or robbery using dangerous means such as date-rape drugs is tantamount to using a dangerous weapon, and raising the statutory minimum sentence substantially from three years to five years.

On April 23 local time, former Iranian Crown Prince Pahlavi was splashed from behind at close range with a red liquid as he walked out of the building after attending a federal press conference in Berlin. Pahlavi was not injured and left by car, and the attacker was detained on the spot.

On April 14, 2026, the Munich District Court sentenced a 28-year-old Chinese international student to 11 years and 3 months in prison, finding him guilty of attempted murder, aggravated rape and other offenses, and additionally ordered preventive detention.

Between 2020 and 2024, a transnational criminal gang composed primarily of highly educated Chinese men residing in Germany and the Netherlands, established a secret group called 'German Old Driver's School' on the encrypted social platform Telegram own. They used female identities on social software such as WeChat and Xiaohongshu to post fake rental or help-seeking information to lure newly arrived Chinese female students and young women to private residences, secretly administering date rape drugs (such as GHB/GBL, sedatives, etc.) to commit sexual assault, and used slang like 'car', 'refueling', and 'dead pig' within the group to brag and communicate, recording and disseminating sexual violence imagery. In February 2026, the Frankfurt District Court issued a first-instance judgment against the main perpetrator Zhang Dapeng (who was an IT supervisor of a car company before the case), finding him guilty of 22 charges including attempted murder and especially severe rape, sentencing him to 14 years of imprisonment and additional preventive detention (security supervision). Other accomplices Jiang Zhongyi was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in Munich, Zhou Tong was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months in Berlin, and Shao Zhiting, who provided drug formula guidance, was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment in July. This case, due to its heinous criminal methods and targeting of specific groups, caused a shock to the overseas Chinese community and directly pushed the German Federal Cabinet to pass a bill increasing the penalties for date rape crimes.

On February 2, 2026, the Munich Regional Court opened the trial of a Chinese international student accused of repeatedly drugging, sexually assaulting and filming his girlfriend; the prosecution charged him with seven counts including attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and aggravated rape.

In February 2026, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the Munich Security Conference in Germany. The two sides discussed bilateral relations and reiterated their adherence to the one-China principle.

Germany's 2026 defense budget plans to spend 19.8 billion euros.

On November 21, 2025, during the Germany Düsseldorf International Medical Device Exhibition, about 200 exhibitors from China purchased a 20‑euro boxed meal from a local Chinese restaurant at the venue and subsequently suffered collective vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms, with some using the restroom more than 40 times in one night and showing blood streaks. The affected individuals were rushed to hospitals for treatment, with some in critical condition. Local medical institutions have intervened, and the exhibition organizers have launched an investigation into the catering provider.

The Dresden Higher Regional Court sentenced Guo Jian, an assistant to an Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker, to four years and nine months in prison, finding that he worked for Chinese intelligence services; logistics worker Yaqi, a co-defendant in the same case, received a suspended sentence.

During his visit to Germany, Wang Yi publicly stated that it is always better to talk than to fight.

Germany has amended its constitution to exclude defense spending exceeding 1% of GDP from the 'debt brake' rule, paving the way for increased military expenditure.

Germany's 2025 defense budget plan will spend 241 billion euros.

On October 8, 2024, the Fifth Criminal Senate of the German Federal Court of Justice ruled that covertly slipping someone date-rape drugs (K.o. drops) to carry out a sexual assault does not constitute the use of a “dangerous instrument,” and therefore the aggravated provision carrying a minimum sentence of five years does not apply.

Bloomberg once again mentioned in its report the German hospitals' contingency plan for handling 1,000 casualties per day, sparking attention.

As of June 30, 2024, Germany has spent just over half of its 100 billion euro defense fund within four years.

Reuters reported on the contingency plans made by German hospitals to handle 1,000 casualties per day.

Germany has signed a contract with the United States for 35 F-35 fighter jets.

On the eve of the Russia-Ukraine war, Germany established a €100 billion special defense fund and signed orders for tanks, artillery, and fighter jets with countries including Poland, South Korea, and the United States.

Merkel's open-border policy led to a massive influx of illegal migrants from North Africa, the Middle East and other regions into Europe, triggering a subsequent series of public security and integration crises.

Overseas investigators, calling on behalf of an embassy, questioned Bo Xilai by telephone about the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners during his tenure in Liaoning, and Bo Xilai implicated Jiang Zemin in the conversation.

On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall in East Berlin was broken through by the public, and the East German Communist regime accelerated its collapse.

On October 7, 1989, East Germany still held a grand military parade, but due to crushing national debt and widespread public anger sparked by the leadership's support for the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, large-scale protests broke out. After Krenz took over as General Secretary, unable to turn the tide and blindly shaking hands with the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) further intensified conflicts, ultimately leading to reunification with West Germany less than a year later on October 3, 1990.

Red Sorghum, directed by Zhang Yimou and adapted from Mo Yan's novel, won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese film to receive the honor; Zhang Yimou thus transitioned from cinematographer to internationally renowned director.