German Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang this week to further enhance Sino-German ties. (Photo : Getty Images)
For the ninth time in her chancellorship, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel is slated to visit China from June 12 to 14, according to a China Daily report.
The news was told to the media outlet by German Ambassador to China Michael Clauss, saying that Merkel's trip is part of the fourth round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultations.
Merkel will be bringing 11 more German ministers and vice-ministers who will meet with Premier Li Keqiang to "continue discussions according to the action plan of Sino-German cooperation to push relations forward."
The plan, which was signed back in 2014 during the last China-Germany intergovernmental consultation, covers 110 cooperation agreements for the next five to 10 years.
The wide-ranging issues that will be tackled include mutual trade and investments, China's economic reform and liberalization, and the Sino-German cooperation in innovation, Clauss said.
The German Ambassador pointed out that other important concerns such as Syria and global economy will also be part of the meeting's agenda.
The leaders are also expected to reach an agreement on cybersecurity that will most likely focus on cracking down on economic spying, he added as he urged both governments to come up with a scheme that would counter cyberattacks.
"Data is extremely important in everything we do, and that means we should ensure that company data and company secrets are secure," Clauss said. "That's very important for both Chinese and German companies. Concepts like Industry 4.0 and Internet Plus will not work without a high degree of data security."
In China, the national government has long expressed its opposition to hacking in any form, saying that "the most effective way to cope with it is international cooperation."
Meanwhile, Clauss shared that China's and German's business exchanges have become more dynamic in the recent period. He added that more Chinese firms have shown intent to invest in German-based and German-acquired companies.
According to a May 2016 report from Germany Trade and Investment, China is Germany's leading foreign direct investor, with 260 out of over 2,300 projects. The figure was a 37-percent increase from last year, the report showed.
As Clauss took note that Germany is an open economy, he said that he is also "looking forward to China opening up more."
"Opening up will help China to accelerate its economic reform. Opening up and reform are two sides of one coin," Clauss said.
Last March, German President Joachim Gauck also visited China to further foster Beijing-Berlin ties.
