German Chancellor Angela Merkel began her three-day trip to China on Sunday by visiting a Volkswagen plant and meeting with children of migrant workers, dpa reported. Later, in Beijing, she will hold talks over dinner with Premier Li Keqiang after being greeted with military honours by President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square. A high-ranking business delegation is accompanying Merkel on her seventh visit to China since becoming chancellor in 2005, with bilateral economic ties once again topping the agenda. In her meetings with Chinese leaders she is expected to highlight the issues of industrial piracy, respect for intellectual property rights and cyber attacks. Merkel toured the joint venture between Volkswagen and the Chinese carmaker FAW in Chengdu, the rapidly growing capital of south-western Sichuan province where some 120 German companies have a presence. China is Germany's second-largest trading partner outside of the European Union and China is the fifth-biggest buyer of German exports, chiefly in the automotive and engineering sectors.
