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View all search resultsIn Singapore, Merz seeks to widen market access to counter trade restrictions
The world is changing and the EU, with 450 million consumers, has become more active in seeking and building on partnerships to expand free trade with open competition, reliability and a rules-based order, Merz said during a visit to Singapore.
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This handout photo taken and released by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on October 27, 2026 shows Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (right) meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Singapore. (AFP/Handout)
G
erman Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that the European Union is seeking to collaborate more deeply on open market access to counter restrictions on global trade, including with Southeast Asia and members of the CPTPP trade pact.
The world is changing and the EU, with 450 million consumers, has become more active in seeking and building on partnerships to expand free trade with open competition, reliability and a rules-based order, Merz said during a visit to Singapore.
"This is a deliberate counterpoint to what we are currently seeing ... we want to do things differently and we want to show that there is a better way," Merz told a press conference
The Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, is a trade agreement comprising 12 countries, including Japan, Britain, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said his country, when it becomes chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc in 2027, will push to make progress on an ASEAN-EU free trade deal
The EU has bilateral FTAs with several ASEAN countries and negotiations are ongoing with other ASEAN members
"We recognise that it will be challenging. It's complex, but we can also have some confidence in moving forward," Wong said about the ASEAN-EU agreement
Merz said he has called on the EU to better coordinate its existing bilateral trade frameworks with partners like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India to "open up better opportunities for us and our businesses in the region"
He also said the EU would be willing to get involved in an ASEAN initiative to integrate its power grids and cooperate more on defence and security.
Germany has been seeking to diversify its strategic and trade links to counter the perceived unreliability of the United States or China's growth as an economic rival.
Merz said Singapore, Japan and South Korea had "common interests".
"If we undertake these efforts together, then our independence from other countries will grow significantly," Merz said, without naming specific nations.
China is Germany's top economic partner in Asia and has long been a major investment destination but is also seen as a growing competitor.
Merz will fly to Japan on Wednesday, where he will meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and to South Korea on Thursday and Friday.
