Germany's Chancellor goes to China to top trade.

Live from the UK, this is the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service.

I'm Leanna Byrne back for the next three days. Good morning.

The German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz says there is a great opportunity to develop ties with China

following a meeting with its leader Xi Jinping.

Merz is currently on his first visit to China, which is Germany's biggest trading partner,

since becoming leader 10 months ago.

Before the trip, he said there needs to be a fair competition and jointly agreed rules between the two countries.

The BBC's Alice Adderley has more.

Chancellor Merz's visit comes against a background of world trade

complicated by President Trump's imposition of tariffs.

He's the latest European leader seeking to reset relations with China

after a year that's laid bare the fraying alliance with the US

and exposed supply chain vulnerabilities.

Germany is also facing intense competition from China's

electric carmakers. Away from trade, the German Chancellor aims to raise the conflict in Ukraine.

He'll discuss Beijing's influence over Moscow with President Xi Jinping. Alice Adderly there. Now,

let's see the numbers.

The price of gold is on the rise again. It's been trading at over $5,200 an ounce on markets in Europe this morning.

The UK carmaker Aston Martin says it's cutting 20% of its staff. The firm has been badly hit by US tariffs on overseas auto imports.

And drinks giant Diageo has ruled out selling its share of brands Guinness and Moe-Hennessee as it cut its outlook after a 2.8% drop in sales for the first half.

Now, British retailers say the theft of chocolate from grocery stores is out of control in parts of the country.

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