German Chancellor Angela Merkel may no longer consider the U.S. under President Donald Trump a “friend,” but the European leader is finding a willing new partner in a different, and perhaps unexpected, global superpower: China. Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Berlin this week for what’s been described as a “highly-symbolic” state visit. Analysts say Trump’s tensions with Merkel and the German chancellor’s willingness to embrace China fits neatly with the Asian superpower’s owns ambitions. On Wednesday, Merkel and Xi shared a packed day of activities, opening a $10 million panda enclosure at the Berlin Zoo and watching a German-Chinese youth soccer match. Xi said the two countries stood at the cusp of a “new beginning,” according to Bloomberg.

Source: Huffington Post July 06, 2017 04:30 UTC