Bright future for ties

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to China presents a good opportunity for the two governments to promote their comprehensive bilateral cooperation and enrich their strategic partnership.

The fact that this is Merkel's fifth trip to China since she took office in 2005 and that last year Wen Jiabao paid his fifth visit to Germany as premier, highlights the frequent high-level exchanges China and Germany have maintained in recent years.

Sino-German trade and economic cooperation has thrived and become the cornerstone of bilateral interaction. Germany is China's biggest trade partner in the European Union. And, despite the severe eurozone crisis, bilateral trade reached about $170 billion in 2011. The two countries are working together to push the figure to $300 billion by the year 2015.