德国总理弗里德里希·默茨周三敦促日本支持一个拟议中的全球联盟，以捍卫基于规则的贸易体系，这是他在为期一周的亚洲之行中一直在推销的主张。
Merz invites Japan to back trade alliance as China asks Germany to be rational By Andreas Rinke TOKYO, Oct 28 - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday urged Japan to back a proposed global alliance to defend rules-based trade that he has been touting during a week-long Asia trip.
根据准备好的发言稿，他在东京的一个商业峰会上表示，一个由“志同道合的伙伴”组成的联盟将有助于各国抵制日益增长的关税使用和经济胁迫。
An alliance of "like-minded partners" would help countries resist the growing use of tariffs and economic coercion, he told a business summit in Tokyo, according to prepared remarks.
“如果全球贸易体系的规则被他国违反，或遭遇经济胁迫，我们可以在联盟内协调行动，展现统一战线，”他说，这显然是指美国和中国。
"Should the rules of the global trading system be violated by others, or should economic coercion be employed, we could coordinate our actions within the alliance and present a united front," he said, an apparent reference to the US and China.
针对默茨的提议，中国表示希望德国和欧盟保持“客观理性”，并承诺致力于同各方合作，维护贸易和供应链的稳定。
In responding to Merz's proposal, China said it hoped Germany and the EU would be "objective and rational" and that it was committed to working with all parties to maintain the stability of trade and supply chains.
默茨的倡议呼应了加拿大总理马克·卡尼今年呼吁世界中等强国更紧密合作、以抗衡大经济体施压的主张。
Merz's initiative echoes calls by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this year for the world's middle powers to work more closely together to counter pressure from larger economies.
“如果我们携手前行，问题将不再是我们‘在菜单上’还是‘坐在餐桌旁’，”默茨援引卡尼今年1月演讲中的一句名言说道。
"If we move forward together, the question will no longer be whether we are 'on the menu' or 'sitting at the table'," Merz said, invoking a line used by Carney during his January speech.
“因为那样的话，餐厅本身就属于我们。”德国将中国视为既是巨大的贸易伙伴，也是战略竞争对手。随着默茨访问的进行，一份报告称，随着对华出口下降抵消了在该地区其他地方销售增长的势头，德国对亚太地区的贸易逆差预计将在2026年创下近1460亿欧元（1630亿美元）的纪录高位。
"Because in that case, the restaurant itself belongs to us." Germany sees China as both a massive trading partner and a strategic rival. Coinciding with Merz's visit, a report said Germany's trade deficit with Asia-Pacific is set to hit a record of nearly €146 billion ($163 billion) in 2026 as falling exports to China outweigh growing sales elsewhere in the region.