Talks covered military ties and security
The ministry's October 28 statement said discussions covered relations between the countries and their militaries, along with international and regional security issues of shared concern.
South China Morning Post reported that no PLA delegation had traveled to Europe for this type of consultation since 2023, when Chinese representatives visited the United Kingdom and France. As of the ministry's statement, neither Paris nor Berlin had publicly commented on the latest visits, and Beijing had not identified the delegation's members.
Trade tensions form the backdrop
The military consultations came amid rising trade tensions between China and Europe. Earlier in October, France and Germany jointly supported a proposed EU trade mechanism to limit market access for countries judged to cause market distortions.
The proposal was widely viewed as targeting China. In response, China's Ministry of Commerce urged the French and German governments not to encourage the EU to adopt protectionist instruments.
Earlier military and diplomatic contacts
The consultations followed other defense exchanges between China and the two countries. Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun visited France and Germany with a delegation from May 11 to 17, 2025, and attended the sixth UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin.
Dong met with then-French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu on May 12 and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on May 15. Those talks addressed bilateral relations, military ties and international and regional developments. The participants agreed to strengthen practical exchanges and cooperation between their armed forces.
China and France also held high-level diplomatic talks earlier this month. On October 10, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Emmanuel Bonne, the French president's diplomatic adviser, met in Datong, Shanxi province, for the 28th China-France Strategic Dialogue. Their discussions included closer cooperation in nuclear energy, aerospace and artificial intelligence.
