Germany's Merkel due in China for eurozone talks
Merkel to hold talks with president, premier, make key address on current euro crisis.
BEIJING:
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in China on Thursday for three days of talks that will focus on the eurozone crisis, Iran and Syria.
Merkel's visit comes at a difficult time for China, just days after deadly Tibetan unrest hit the Asian powerhouse, and the leader of Europe's biggest economy is also said to be keen to discuss human rights.
Germany and China, the world's top two exporters, enjoy vibrant trade relations and Merkel will meet investors and seek to boost confidence in Europe on her fifth trip to the world's second largest economy.
Accompanied by a trade delegation, she will hold talks with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, make a key address on the current euro crisis and visit the wealthy, southern province of Guangdong -- a manufacturing hub.
Observers will also be watching her visit for any mention of last week's violence in Tibetan-inhabited areas of Sichuan province, which saw police fire on protesters in unrest that left at least two ethnic Tibetans dead.
A German government source said human rights would figure highly on the trip's agenda, with Merkel keen to talk about minority issues and social development in China.
The German leader will discuss the eurozone with her Chinese counterparts, who are keen to see a return to growth in Europe and a stable euro.
She will hold talks on possible increased Chinese involvement in the International Monetary Fund, access to Chinese markets and intellectual property rights, the source said.
Merkel will also urge China not to take advantage of Europe's ban on Iranian oil -- imposed on Tehran over its nuclear programme -- to boost its own imports of the resource, the source said.
And the German leader will ask for Beijing's support for a UN Security Council resolution against Syria, where fighting between President Bashar al-Assad's security forces and rebels is escalating.
On Friday, Merkel will fly to Guangdong -- where nearly 500 German companies are already present -- with Wen and executives from the energy, chemicals, engineering, banking and electronic sectors.
On the agenda of her discussions will also be rare earths -- valuable elements that are used in the production of high-tech products and which are of "very great importance for the German economy," the source said.
China has been accused of deliberately restricting exports of the elements to drive up prices and force manufacturers onto its shores, but Beijing says it limits them for environmental reasons as mining them is very polluting.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in China on Thursday for three days of talks that will focus on the eurozone crisis, Iran and Syria.
Merkel's visit comes at a difficult time for China, just days after deadly Tibetan unrest hit the Asian powerhouse, and the leader of Europe's biggest economy is also said to be keen to discuss human rights.
Germany and China, the world's top two exporters, enjoy vibrant trade relations and Merkel will meet investors and seek to boost confidence in Europe on her fifth trip to the world's second largest economy.
Accompanied by a trade delegation, she will hold talks with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, make a key address on the current euro crisis and visit the wealthy, southern province of Guangdong -- a manufacturing hub.
Observers will also be watching her visit for any mention of last week's violence in Tibetan-inhabited areas of Sichuan province, which saw police fire on protesters in unrest that left at least two ethnic Tibetans dead.
A German government source said human rights would figure highly on the trip's agenda, with Merkel keen to talk about minority issues and social development in China.
The German leader will discuss the eurozone with her Chinese counterparts, who are keen to see a return to growth in Europe and a stable euro.
She will hold talks on possible increased Chinese involvement in the International Monetary Fund, access to Chinese markets and intellectual property rights, the source said.
Merkel will also urge China not to take advantage of Europe's ban on Iranian oil -- imposed on Tehran over its nuclear programme -- to boost its own imports of the resource, the source said.
And the German leader will ask for Beijing's support for a UN Security Council resolution against Syria, where fighting between President Bashar al-Assad's security forces and rebels is escalating.
On Friday, Merkel will fly to Guangdong -- where nearly 500 German companies are already present -- with Wen and executives from the energy, chemicals, engineering, banking and electronic sectors.
On the agenda of her discussions will also be rare earths -- valuable elements that are used in the production of high-tech products and which are of "very great importance for the German economy," the source said.
China has been accused of deliberately restricting exports of the elements to drive up prices and force manufacturers onto its shores, but Beijing says it limits them for environmental reasons as mining them is very polluting.