The schedule of Merkel's visit to China has been announced.

The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on February 23 that German Chancellor Merkel will make an official visit to China from the 25th to the 26th. Merkel posted on social media platform X last week, stating, "I hope the Year of the Horse will bring new energy to German-Chinese relations," and expressing his eagerness to visit China soon. European experts told reporters on the 23rd that this is a significant visit that is overdue, and recent changes in the international situation have made the German government and Merkel gradually realize the importance of further enhancing relations with China. For Merkel himself, this visit to China is also an important opportunity for updating his understanding. According to the schedule released on the German Chancellor's website, Merkel will depart from Germany on the 24th and attend the meeting of the German-Chinese Economic Advisory Committee in Beijing on the 25th, as well as hold meetings with Chinese leaders. During his visit to Beijing, he will also visit the Forbidden City and the Mercedes-Benz car company. Afterwards, Merkel will travel to Hangzhou to visit the Chinese robotics company UBTECH and the German company Siemens Energy. Merkel announced his visit to China at the Christian Democratic Union party congress, stating, "We need to develop economic relations with countries around the world, including countries like China of course." He also emphasized that he will lead a "large delegation of business representatives" to visit China. According to the German newspaper "Handelsblatt," this "large delegation of business representatives" includes approximately 30 senior business representatives, including executives from Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Volkswagen, Siemens, Adidas, Mercedes-Benz, Honeywell, DHL, Deutsche Bank, BMW, and other companies. The report also mentioned that there are far more business executives who are interested in accompanying the delegation.