Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Berlin on July 8 for the fifth round of intergovernmental consultations between China and Germany and an official visit to the European country.

The trip marks Premier Li’s fourth visit to Germany as Chinese premier, and the intergovernmental consultations are the first of its kind since the two countries’ new governments took office in March.

Premier Li will chair the consultations together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two sides will plan and coordinate comprehensive cooperation in the next four to five years.

The two leaders will also attend a forum on China-Germany economic and technological cooperation and a presentation of the two countries’ cooperation on autonomous driving, and witness the signing of a series of documents.

In a signed article titled “Good Partners for Greater Openness and Innovation Cooperation” published in the mainstream German newspaper, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, prior to his official visit to Germany, the Premier called for greater openness and innovative cooperation in ties with Germany.

Premier Li points out that China and Germany need to further expand two-way opening-up. Only sustained two-way opening-up can facilitate bilateral cooperation and bring about win-win outcomes for both countries and all parties involved.

Premier Li’s visit comes after his trip in Bulgaria where he attended the seventh meeting of the heads of government of China and 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.