Is Alice Weidel really the most popular German politician in China? The leader of the populist, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is probably the only member of Germany's Parliament, the Bundestag, who speaks Chinese.

As a student, Weidel researched and wrote her doctoral thesis on the pension system in China. Many reels about Weidel are circulating on Chinese state-controlled social media.

The designated AfD candidate for chancellor in the 2025 election is popular in China because she opposes US and EU integration policies.

The fact that Weidel could have a chance of becoming German Chancellor is one of countless cliches in China.

The social elite in China is well aware that cooperation between China as the world's second-largest economy and Germany as the third-largest can only be sustainable if the public has an objective and nuanced image of Germany.

China's "Annual Development Report of Germany (2024)" was published in mid-November.

The publisher is the German Research Center of Tongji University in Shanghai. Its predecessor, the "German Medical School for Chinese in Shanghai," was founded in 1907 by the German naval doctor Erich Paulun.

The 386-page study has not taken into account the latest changes in Germany's politics, such as the coalition government's collapse, and the upcoming snap elections.

The majority of the data used is as of 2023. Nevertheless, it is very informative to read how intensively and thoroughly Chinese researchers are studying Germany.

One of the dominant themes is the rise of the AfD. According to the authors, many people in Germany are worried about the overall political and economic situation.

The AfD is said to be taking advantage of........

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