Merkel heads for Beijing next week
(08-23 15:47)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Beijing next week for talks with Premier Wen Jiabao, the foreign ministry said in Beijing.
The August 30 to 31 visit will be Merkel's second trip to Beijing this year, reflecting China's growing importance as Europe's leaders grapple with the impact of economic turmoil in the euro zone, AFP reports.
She will co-chair “Chinese-German intergovernmental consultations'' with Wen, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement. No one at the German embassy could immediately be reached for comment.
Germany has come under intense pressure to do more to put an end to the euro zone crisis, which is seen as a threat to the global economy, and has hit China's vast manufacturing industry.
Trade between China and Germany reached US$169 billion in 2011, an 18.9-percent increase from the previous year, and next week's visit to China will be Merkel's sixth since she took office in 2006.
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