Germany’s export-driven foreign policy is being challenged

ANGELA MERKEL and Joe Biden dined together on July 15th in Washington during what was almost certainly her final trip to America as Germany’s chancellor. The date was a reminder of the unique closeness of the two allies. It was the 75th anniversary of the arrival in Bremerhaven of the first care packages (Co-operative for American Remittances to Europe), parcels of food and supplies that prevented starvation for many in war-ravaged Germany.There was a great show of warmth between the lame-duck chancellor and the American president. Mr Biden is trying to mend relations with America’s closest allies after Donald Trump treated them with scorn. But the love-in had its limits: on Russia and China, Germany and America are not aligned. “Russia is work in progress between the two allies, but there is a wide gap in what is the right strategy for China,” says Charles Kupchan of the Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank.