German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed Monday to "win back trust" of voters over the handling of the migrant crisis after her party lost against the right-wing populist AfD in state elections.

"Everyone now needs to think about how we can win back trust -- most of all, of course, myself," Merkel said, speaking on the sidelines of a G20 summit in China a day after the election in her home state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.