BEIJING (Reuters) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit China on Nov. 4, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday, in what would be the first vist by a European Union leader to China since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scholz is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, China’s foreign ministry said in a brief statement.
Scholz’s visit comes amid Western concerns about China’s trade practices and human rights record, as well as anxiety over Germany’s rising reliance on the world’s second-largest economy.
China has been Germany’s biggest trading partner for the past six years, with volumes reaching more than 245 billion euros ($244 billion) in 2021.
($1 = 1.0054 euros)
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Alex Richardson)
