Germany news: Economy minister eyes resources in China visit

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AdvertisementSkip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

• German Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche has called for a "trusting and open exchange" between Berlin and Beijing
• Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said there should be no cooperation with the AfD in the event of a minority government
• A verdict has been reached in the case of Daniela Klette, a former member of Germany's disbanded, radical leftist Red Army Faction, over a series of robberies

Here is a roundup of the latest headlines from across Germany on Wednesday, May 27.

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Skip next section Former Germany coach Klinsmann says squad must set sights high05/27/2026May 27, 2026

Former Germany coach Klinsmann says squad must set sights high

Former German national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann has said the German national football team's World Cup objective must be to win the title.

"We have an obligation to always set our sights on the World Cup title," the 1990 World Cup winner said in an interview with the Rheinische Post.

Being content with merely reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals would be "a completely wrong approach" in his view, Klinsmann noted.

"For Germany, the only objective can be to become world champions."

According to Klinsmann, even the public's expectations during the recent home European Championship were misguided. "I was shocked when people claimed the European Championship was a success despite our elimination in the quarter-finals," said the 61-year-old.

As a player himself, Klinsmann said he vividly remembers the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, where the journey ended in the quarter-finals, against Bulgaria in 1994 and Croatia in 1998. "Everyone thought we were completely hopeless."

In 2006, the former striker led the German national side to a third-place finish at the World Cup hosted in Germany. He also managed his adopted home country, the United States, including during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Klinsmann has also  worked as a club coach for Bayern Munich and Hertha Berlin.

Current Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann recently reaffirmed his own World Cup title ambition.

How the 2006 World Cup changed Germany forever

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https://p.dw.com/p/5EPAsSkip next section Suspect held over Berlin Holocaust memorial attack05/27/2026May 27, 2026

Suspect held over Berlin Holocaust memorial attack

A suspect has been arrested in connection with a 2025 attack at Berlin's Holocaust memorial.

German prosecutors said the Syrian national, Khalaf A., is accused of aiding attempted murder.

Investigators allege he was in contact with the convicted attacker, Wassim Al M., and spent time with him hours before the assault, encouraging him to carry it out.

The attacker was sentenced to 13 years in prison for attempting to kill a Spanish tourist at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate,  in February 2025. The victim survived the throat-slashing attack.

The arrest was carried out by Berlin state police following a warrant issued by Germany's Federal Court of Justice.

Stumbling stones — against forgetting

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https://p.dw.com/p/5EOniSkip next section Former RAF militant Daniela Klette jailed for 13 years05/27/2026May 27, 2026

Former RAF militant Daniela Klette jailed for 13 years

Former far-left Red Army Faction militant Daniela Klette has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a court in the northern German town of Verden for armed robbery, weapons offenses and other crimes.

Klette has been found guilty a taking part in a series of robberies targeting cash transport vehicles and supermarkets together with alleged accomplices Burkhard Garweg and Ernst-Volker Staub, who both remain fugitives.

Prosecutors said the group carried out the robberies between 1999 and 2016 and stole more than €2 million ($2.3 million).

Klette, a former member of the far-left militant group Red Army Faction, or RAF, had been living underground for decades before being arrested in Berlin in February 2024.

In the shadow of RAF terror: The children left behind

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https://p.dw.com/p/5EORlSkip next section German trade ministers urges open dialogue and trade with Beijing05/27/2026May 27, 2026

German trade ministers urges open dialogue and trade with Beijing

Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs Katherina Reiche has called for a "trusting and open exchange" between Berlin and Beijing.

This is "very, very important" to her, the conservative politician said in Beijing during a meeting with Zhou Haibing, a Vice Minister at the National Development and Reform Commission, a powerful macroeconomic management agency under the Chinese government.

This agency is considered one of China's most important economic planning bodies. Reiche referred to the "very good bilateral talks" that Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently held with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Now, she noted, it was her task to "pick up this thread." Reiche also drew attention to Zhou's background as a civil engineer, noting that the importance of structural stability and resilience would be well known to him.

"That is how we wish to shape our own relations," the minister said. Reiche addressed the issues of energy security and security of supply. Both topics are also of great importance to China.

Reiche said she and her Chinese counterparts also discussed "reliable access" to critical minerals and "[supply] channels that our companies can rely on.

https://p.dw.com/p/5ENVxSkip next section Scholz rails against idea of any coalition with AfD05/27/2026May 27, 2026

Scholz rails against idea of any coalition with AfD

Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out against a conservative-led minority government supported by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

While voices in the CDU/CSU group have pointed out that there is, in fact, a majority in favor of right-wing policies, Scholz said this could not be the case.

"That is not so simple in Germany, not reasonably so, and we have decided against it;" he said at an event in Hamburg late on Tuesday.

"What is currently being discussed is quite oblivious to history, as there have been several instances where, under the opposite political circumstances, the right thing was done," said Scholz, from the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

He characterized the AfD as an anti-pluralist party against which the other parties must stand united, even if they themselves hold very different views.

He questioned whether the AfD, once in power, would ever be willing to relinquish it. "We must stand firm against this," Scholz urged. Scholz did not mention the name of Torsten Albig, the former Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein and a fellow SPD member.

Over the weekend, Albig had advised his party to consider participating in minority governments supported by the AfD. 

AfD mayoral win offers glimpse of party's local strategy

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https://p.dw.com/p/5EO12Skip next section Welcome to our coverage05/27/2026May 27, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Guten Tag from DW's newsroom in Bonn.

We're here to explore all things German that are in the news today, which include a visit to China by Economy Minister Katherine Reiche.

She said she wanted to two countries to work with one another more closely and fairly. 

For this and other news, stay with us here.

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