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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will pay an official visit to Germany from Wednesday to Friday.
During the visit he will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In a phone call with Merkel earlier this year, Li called for the two countries to play a leading role in ensuring international markets don't become unsettled.
Li will meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and attend an annual meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Li and Merkel will also attend a China-Germany innovation forum.
Germany is China's largest trading partner in the European Union and the two leaders are well known for their comprehensive talks on economic and trade issues, in formal meetings and on the sidelines of negotiations.
Here's a look back at their meetings on trade, goods and services.
Premier Li Keqiang gives a Luban Lock, a Chinese puzzle, to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the China-Germany Economic and Technological Forum during his visit to Berlin on Oct 10, 2014.
Premier Li said the two countries can cooperate to solve global challenges just like unlocking the Luban Lock is a process of solving problems.
German imports from and exports to China rose to 170 billion euros ($180 billion) in 2016, according to the German Federal Statistics Office. China became Germany's most important trading partner in 2016 for the first time.
Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visit the Royal Porcelain Factory KPM (Koenigliche Porzellan-Manufaktur) in Berlin, Germany, on Oct 10, 2014.
Li Keqiang said that although porcelain originates from China, Germany has excelled in its porcelain-making technology. He added that the two countries should learn from each other
China and Germany also signed a wide-ranging guideline covering 110 cooperation agreements over the next five to 10 years, the largest agreement of its kind that China has reached with another country.
Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a signing ceremony after their talks in Berlin, Germany, May 26, 2013.
To take full advantage of these opportunities, the Chinese premier suggested closer cooperation between the two countries' manufacturing industry on standard-making, technological innovation and personnel training, while deepening collaboration on developing information and communication technologies.
Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visit Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace in Beijing.
It was Merkel's second visit to a World Heritage site in Beijing after she toured the Temple of Heaven in 2014. She was making her ninth trip to China since taking office, making her the most frequent visitor to China among western leaders. Li later hosted a banquet for Merkel near the Summer Palace, where they also held an informal meeting.
Premier Li Keqiang talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Oct 29, 2015.
The talk in the hallway of the Great Hall of the People lasted about 10 minutes, after already extending a meeting from the scheduled 30 minutes to 70 minutes. Later, at a joint news conference, they agreed to seek mutual benefits from China's "Made in China 2025" plan and Germany's Industry 4.0 concept.
Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel exchange gifts before dinner in Hefei, the capital of East China's Anhui province, on Oct 30, 2015.
It was the first time that Li has invited a foreign leader to visit his home province.
After presentations of Anhui calligraphy and painting and a tea art show, the two leaders exchanged gifts. Li presented Merkel with quality local tea varieties such as Qimen black tea and Huang\shan maofeng tea, as well as an Anhui-style picture made of silk and brocade. In return, the German leader gave Premier Li a porcelain statue made by Germany's Royal Porcelain Factory, and a comic book showing the cultural differences between the two countries.
Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel drink beer brewed by Chinese and German students during their visit to Hefei University in Hefei, East China's Anhui province, Oct 30, 2015.
Hefei University was jointly founded by Anhui and the German state of Lower Saxony in 1984. The university has maintained exchanges with 17 German higher institutions and seen frequent exchanges of Chinese and German teachers and students over the past 30 years. Li and Merkel said that Hefei University will act as a demonstration site for China-Germany education cooperation.
Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met teenagers from China and Germany at the closing ceremony of the China-Germany Year of Languages program at the Temple of Heaven Park in Beijing on July 7, 2014.
About 100 students and teachers from China and Germany were amazed to find that both the start and the end of the China-Germany Year of Language program included the two leaders.
On May 26, 2013, Li and Merkel met local students in Berlin at the launch ceremony of the program, an initiative meant to encourage people from both nations to study each other's language.
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Germany.
Below is a brief history of the development of Sino-German relations:
(CGTN & CHINA DAILY))
