German Chancellor Angela Merkel needs help -- and in China this week, she has not been afraid to ask for it. She would like to see Beijing exert more pressure on Iran and Syria. Above all, however, Germany wants China to make a concrete pledge to invest in the euro bailout fund.

During the first official day of her visit to China, German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought support from Beijing for European Union sanctions against Iran and for aid in solving the common currency crisis that burdens the European economy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) and Chinese Prime Minister
Wen Jiabao: China has been reserved in pledging concrete aid in the
euro crisis. DAPD photo.

Acknowledging that officials in Beijing do not consider the European Union's embargo on Iranian oil imports to be the correct course of action, Merkel said she "hopes that China will assert its influence so that Iran will not become a nuclear power."

"We are united on the issue that we do not want a nuclear program in Iran," the chancellor said.

Merkel said the contradictions between European and Chinese policies could not be overcome immediately, but she attempted to make Europe's assessment of the situation in Iran clear to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao during a meeting with the leader. The Chinese have rejected sanctions against Iran.

Merkel also said she planned to address issues of human rights in China, a prickly subject in the past that has created tensions between Germany and Beijing, as well as the crises in Iran and Syria.