HAMBURG, Germany -- After 16 years of relatively warm ties with China under Angela Merkel, Germany will vote later this month in an election that will determine who will take over as chancellor and set the course for relations with Beijing.
Voters will on Sept. 26 elect a new parliament, the Bundestag, which in turn will pick Germany's next leader. Chinese officials will be watching keenly as Germany is its most important partner in the European Union, with a mutual trading value of 212.9 billion euros ($251.6 billion).
