German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Hefei City for state visit

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has arrived in Hefei, provincial capital of Anhui Province, as the first leg of his China tour at the invitation of President Xi Jinping.

During his stay in the city, he will be visiting automaker Volkswagen's research and development institute in China, after which Steinmeier is scheduled to meet Xi, Premier Li Qiang, and top legislator Zhao Leji on bilateral ties and shared concerns.

He is accompanied by a delegation comprising representatives from Bundestag, the European Parliament, the German federal government and figures from various sectors.

German sources have highlighted high-level exchanges and cooperation in science, technology and people-to-people fields as the focal points.

The foreign ministry in Beijing hopes the visit will help consolidate mutual trust, deepen cooperation and pursue joint innovation.