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Merkel's State Visit to Wuhan on 6–7 September 2019: A Retrospective

On 6 September 2019, just months before the first officially recognised Corona infections, Angela Merkel arrived in China for her twelfth state visit. She spent the first day in Beijing in meetings with state officials, before travelling on Saturday to a city in the interior named Wuhan.

As on prior visits, Merkel travelled with a substantial corporate delegation, whose members aimed to conclude deals and expand cooperation with Chinese firms. The German automotive supplier Webasto was at that moment opening a new production facility in Wuhan, and Merkel attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony:

Together with the city’s mayor, Xianwang Zhou, and the CEO of Webasto SE … Merkel gave the official go-ahead … for the production of roof systems, electric high-voltage heaters and charging solutions at what is now the group’s largest plant.

After the ceremonial opening, the Chancellor received a tour of the production facility, to gain insight into the German automotive supplier’s development and production processes, as well as its strategies for further development.

You might remember this company: The earliest official Corona cases in Germany were Webasto employees who brought the virus back to Bavaria from Wuhan in late January 2020.