When the 1.9-meter-tall Merz arrived in Beijing and stepped out of the aircraft, some Chinese netizens noticed that he walked briskly down the stairs. Some interpreted this as body language reflecting a new diplomatic reality, while others in the media saw it as a gesture of sincerity.

　　"It looks like he can"t wait to talk with the Chinese side," a Chinese netizen said on Chinese X-like platform Weibo.