German Chancellor Merkel to visit China next week

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will embark on a two-day official visit to China on May 24-25 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang announced on Friday, according to Xinhua news agency.

At a press briefing, Lu said, "Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, and other senior leaders will hold talks and meetings with Merkel and exchange views on China-Germany and China-Europe relations and cooperation, as well as other major international and regional issues."

Merkel will also visit Shenzhen during her two-day trip. This would be her first visit to China after being re-elected as the German Chancellor on March 14.

Stressing on the need for developing close ties with Germany, Lu added, "China attaches great importance to developing ties with Germany, and is ready to push forward bilateral relations and pragmatic cooperation in various fields to achieve new development at a high level based on mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutually beneficial cooperation. We hope this visit will boost political mutual trust, push forward bilateral cooperation in various fields, and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral ties in the new era."

In a telephone conversation in March, Merkel and Xi stressed on the importance of multilateral cooperation on global trade, following the United States' decision of imposing trade tariffs on China, stalling the ties between two countries.