German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to China on Thursday can help maintain mature Sino-German ties, though Germany needs to do more to keep the…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to China on Thursday can help maintain mature Sino-German ties, though Germany needs to do more to keep the relationship sustainable, experts said

According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Merkel will meet with Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping in Beijing. She will also visit Hefei, Anhui Province, Li’s hometown

"Merkel’s eighth visit to China during her tenure signifies the closeness of the two countries, which enjoy consensus on many issues and enjoy huge potential to cooperate," Lu Kang, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a news briefing on Wednesday

According to Michael Clauss, Germany’s ambassador to China, Merkel and Li will discuss the progress and next steps of the Sino-German partnership, especially in the manufacturing sector, as both Germany’s "Industry 4.0" initiative and China’s "Made in China 2025" initiative aim to create sustainable progress

"This year has been declared the Sino-German Year of Innovation. Innovation is therefore going to be high on the agenda of the talks, including aspects such as social innovation and the rule of law," Clauss told the Global Times previously

Zhou Hong, an expert in European Studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times that China’s large and diverse market provides great opportunities to Germany, which needs a huge market to digest the products of its highly developed industries

The trade volume between China and Germany reached $177.8 billion in 2014, accounting for around 30 percent of total China-EU trade volume, and China also became the top investor in Germany in 2014, the Xinhua News Agency reported

About 2,000 Chinese companies created 28,000 jobs in Germany in 2015, and over half of those businesses expected the German economy to improve, according to a survey by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Germany (CHKD)

"Germany needs to show a willingness to share core highly advanced technologies with China to keep this giant market," Cui Hongjian, an expert at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times

Analysts agreed that although economic ties are the main goal, wider cooperation in social areas is necessary for the development of a sustainable relationship that will help shape an all-around understanding of the two countries

"China certainly wants more cooperation in the research and development sector amid its advocacy of the ’new normal’ economy, but Germany’s concern about intellectual property protection for small and medium-sized businesses is understandable," Cui said