“This date was proposed by the Chinese side,” Merz’s spokesman Sebastian Hille told a Friday press briefing. “We consider this offer to come right at the beginning of the year to be a good omen.”

Merz leaves Berlin Tuesday for his first official China visit since he took office last May. He is scheduled to be welcomed Wednesday in Beijing by Prime Minister Li Qiang before later meeting Xi for talks and a dinner, Hille said.

During the two-day visit, Merz will also visit Beijing’s Forbidden City, Chinese robotics firm Unitree, German car company Mercedes-Benz and turbine-maker Siemens Energy, Hille said.

The talks between the leaders of Europe’s top economy and of the world’s number two economy come at a critical time for Berlin, which is looking to boost its moribund economy as many of its companies are reeling from intense Chinese competition.

“Bilateral relations and economic and security issues will be on the agenda,” Hille said, adding that Merz would travel with a delegation of business leaders.

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