施密特 is the standard Chinese rendering of Schmidt — one of Germany's most common surnames, originally meaning 'smith'. In Chinese media it most often refers to Helmut Schmidt (
赫尔穆特·
施密特, 1918-2015), West German Chancellor 1974-1982 and a respected friend of China who met Mao, Deng, and every subsequent Chinese leader through Xi Jinping. Also used for former Google CEO Eric Schmidt (
埃里克·
施密特).
