Germany's China strategy, passed by the outgoing government in July 2023, acknowledges that China has become a major challenge. But the country has been struggling to find the right balance between business and politics – and between national and European approaches. Ahead of the Federal Election in February, we asked leading experts to share their assessment on the following question in this issue of MERICS Forum: “What should the next German government prioritize and/or implement (differently) in China policy?”