This Article is From Jun 15, 2023

China Premier's 1st Overseas Visit To Germany, France From June 18 To 23

Li Qiang to visit Germany and France as his first official visit as Premier to take part in the seventh round of China Germany government consultations

China Premier's 1st Overseas Visit To Germany, France From June 18 To 23

The trip will be Li Qiang first overseas visit since being appointed premier in March.

Beijing:

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Germany and France from Sunday, June 18 to Friday, June 23, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Li will "take part in the seventh round of China-Germany government consultations, and also pay an official visit to France," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a statement.

"At the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French government", he will also attend the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact while in France, Wang added.

That summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, aims to "bring together private and public financing where it is most needed by people and the planet", such as fighting climate change and poverty and protecting biodiversity, the Elysee has said.

The trip will be Li's first overseas visit since being appointed premier in March.

A former Shanghai party chief, Li is seen as one of Chinese President Xi Jinping's closest allies.

His trip to Germany comes just days after a document prepared by Chancellor Scholz's coalition on Wednesday slammed China for putting regional stability and international security "under increasing pressure" and for disregarding human rights.

Asked what message the document sent to Beijing, Scholz told a press conference "the point is that China will continue to grow economically and that China's integration into world trade and world economic relations should not be impaired."

"But at the same time, the security issues that arise for us must be taken into account," he said, adding that Germany "doesn't want decoupling, we want de-risking".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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