By looking east Merkel can help secure her political legacy

On Sunday, Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian counterpart the Christian Social Union won a small majority in the German election, meaning she will be chancellor for a fourth term and remain in office until 2021.

Coincidentally, 2021 is a milestone for the Communist Party of China, as that year it will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding, and this is when China is to have built itself into a moderately prosperous society, with its GDP and per-capita income being double 2010 levels.

The year and that goal can also serve as a timely reference for Merkel to think about what her political legacy will be. Merkel has already outlasted other Western leaders. She has worked with four French presidents since she first became chancellor in 2005.