Merkel to visit China next week

German chancellor's meeting with premier to push ongoing consultation plan forward

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit China for the ninth time in her chancellorship from June 12 to 14 for the fourth round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultations, German Ambassador to China Michael Clauss told China Daily in an interview ahead of the visit.

Merkel will bring about 11 ministers and vice-ministers to China for a meeting with Premier Li Keqiang and continue discussions according to the action plan of Sino-German cooperation to push relations forward, Clauss said.

The plan, a wide-ranging guideline covering 110 cooperation agreements over the next five to 10 years, was signed during the last round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultations in 2014.

Issues including Sino-German cooperation in innovation, China's economic reform and opening-up, and mutual trade and investments are expected to be raised during the consultations, Clauss said. International issues concerning Syria and the global economy are also on the agenda.

In addition, China and Germany will probably reach an agreement on cybersecurity that focuses on fighting economic spying, said the ambassador, calling on German and Chinese governments to facilitate a framework to protect companies from cyberattacks.

"Data is extremely important in everything we do, and that means we should ensure that company data and company secrets are secure. 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," Clauss said.

Data security plays an essential role in modern manufacturing. In automobile manufacturing, for example, the process of producing a steel plate uses large amounts of data for adjustments so that the plate is accurately cut and welded.

China has long expressed opposition to hacking in any form and said the most effective way to cope with it is international cooperation.

Along with closer economic cooperation, Sino-German business exchanges have been even more dynamic recently, and more Chinese enterprises hope to invest in Germany or purchase German companies, Clauss said.

According to a report in May from the federal economic development agency Germany Trade & Invest, Germany attracted more than 2,300 foreign direct investment projects in 2015, and China was the top investor in projects with 260. That's a 37 percent increase from last year.

Clauss said there is still much more space for investment. The investment trend is just beginning in Germany, but it will be beneficial for both countries, he said.

He stressed that Germany is an open economy and welcomes investment from Chinese companies. At the same time, German companies expect to have better market access, fewer hurdles and more secure intellectual property rights.

"Germany is an open economy, so we are 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.

In Beijing, Merkel will also meet with President Xi Jinping and top legislator Zhang Dejiang. The chancellor will also travel to Shenyang, Liaoning province, to visit the Chinese-German industrial park there.

Industrial areas in Northeast China are facing problems of renovation, while Germany has managed to renovate its polluted Ruhr area. That will offer new cooperation opportunities for Chinese and Germany companies, Clauss said.

Beijing-Berlin ties have developed greatly in recent years. Mutual trust was deepened by German President Joachim Gauck's China-visit in March.