Germany's Merz calls for global free trade alliance during South Korea trip

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for the establishment of a "global political alliance for rules-based trade" during his opening speech at the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in Seoul on Friday. The German leader is on a five-day trip to Asia which included stops in Singapore and Japan. He said, "the evolving geopolitical landscape is bringing like-minded partners closer together and opening the door to the formation of a resilient network".