BERLIN — Berndes has been making saucepans since 1921. It is one of the largest manufacturers of such products in Germany and is a world market leader in nonstick pots and pans.

These top-of-the-range products take a lot of labor, which is why Berndes, one of the tens of thousands of small and medium-size companies, or Mittelstand, that fuel the German economy, moved a large part of its production several years ago to China. Last year, it brought everything back home. China, a company spokeswoman said, could not meet the delivery deadlines.

Other German companies are leaving China, too. They say they are frustrated with the corruption, poor quality control, theft of intellectual property, opaque investment regulations and hidden state subsidies. And with Chinese labor costs rising rapidly, the price advantage of producing in China might no longer be worth it for some Mittelstand companies.

These issues are not new to Chancellor Angela Merkel. She raised some of them last week during a two-day state visit to China, her second this year. Ms. Merkel’s focus, however, was on strengthening the economic and political ties between Berlin and Beijing. Her delegation included eight cabinet or deputy ministers and more than 20 company executives. It showed how seriously Berlin and Beijing are taking each other, especially during the euro crisis.