Hello and welcome to World Today, I am Ding Heng in Beijing.
Coming up, German Chancellor is on a trip to China for talks on trade and other issues.
Trump tells economic success in state-of-the-union address seeking reset ahead of midterm elections.
Hong Kong protests after Panama takes control of two key ports on a Panama Canal,
and gold prices rises again as tariff jitters give rise to safe haven demand.
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you can download our podcast by searching World Today.
First up, Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with German Chancellor Frederick Merz in Beijing.
Merz began his official visit to China on Wednesday.
The two-day trip comes amid rising transatlantic tensions and a chaos in Europe,
particularly from Berlin, for greater strategic autonomy.
The German leader is leading a high-level trade delegation,
including senior executives from nearly 30 German leading companies in sectors including automotive,
chemicals, and manufacturing.
So, for more joining us now on the line is Dr.
George Zagopoulos, director of the EU China program at CIFE,
a French-based European research organization.
So, thank you very much for joining us today, Dr.
George Zagopoulos.
I mean,