German Chancellor Angela Merkel will start her two-day visit to China on Thursday. It will be her first trip to China after her re-election and the 11th as the chancellor.
Merkel will visit South China's Guangdong's Shenzhen, which will be a new Chinese city where Merkel will leave her footprint. The chancellor has visited many Chinese cities and is known as one of the Western political leaders that know China the best.
Beijing
Merkel attends the seventh Asia-Europe Meeting in Beijing on Oct 24 and 25, 2008. [Photo/Xinhua]
Merkel has visited Beijing the most. It is the city that has witnessed the growing connection and expanding cooperation between the two countries.
Merkel plays a diabolo, or Chinese yo-yo, in Beijing's Zhongshan Park, Aug 27, 2007. [Photo/Agencies]
During her first visit to China after becoming chancellor in May 2006, Merkel had a walk in a Beijing park in the morning and exercised with local residents.
Shanghai, May 2006
Merkel visits Shanghai's St. Ignatius Cathedral, May 23, 2006. [Photo/Agencies]
During her first visit to China in May 2006, Merkel visited Shanghai's Urban Planning Exhibition Hall and St. Ignatius Cathedral.
Merkel tours the Shanghai control room of a high-speed train that showcases magnetic levitation technology, May 23, 2006. [Photo/VCG]
She spoke at a meeting of the German Chamber of Commerce in China and rode the world's only commercially operational maglev rail line.
Nanjing, August 2007
German Chancellor Angela Merkel enters a hotel with a bunch of flowers in hands after she arrived in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Aug 28, 2007. [Photo/IC]
In August 2007, Merkel visited China for the second time as the chancellor. She visited Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to launch Germany and China: Moving Ahead Together, a three-year campaign, along with provincial leaders.
Merkel visits the production line at the factory of Siemens Numerical Control Ltd. in Nanjing, Aug 29, 2007. [Photo/Agencies]
During her stay, she also visited the Sino-German Law Institute at Nanjing University and the city's Siemens plant. Her reputation in China was somewhat enhanced by her decision to stay in a junior suite rather than a presidential suite at the hotel.
Xi'an, July 2010
Merkel smiles with two soldiers of the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, July 17, 2010. [Photo/IC]
In July 2010, during a visit to Xi'an, Shaanxi province, Merkel held talks with then-premier Wen Jiabao as well as heads of German and Chinese companies.
Merkel smiles between two horses of the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, July 17, 2010. Merkel celebrates her 56th birthday in Xi'an. [Photo/IC]
Wen accompanied her on a visit to Siemens Signaling Co Ltd, a Sino-German joint venture. Merkel also visited the mausoleum of Qinshihuang, the first emperor of China, where the Terracotta Warriors are located.
Guangzhou, February 2012
Merkel takes a photo during a boat trip in Guangzhou, Feb 3, 2012. [Photo/IC]
After a stop in Beijing, Merkel visited Guangzhou, Guangdong province, where she and Wen attended a trade seminar for Chinese and German business leaders.
Merkel visits Herrenknecht AG in Guangzhou, Feb 3, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]
She also visited the Chinese branch of Herrenknecht AG, a German manufacturer of tunnel-drilling machines.
Tianjin, August 2012
Merkel visits a market on Food Street in Tianjin, China, Aug 31, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]
Merkel was accompanied by then-premier Wen Jiabao on a trip to his hometown Tianjin, traveling via high-speed rail.
Merkel speaks during a ceremony marking the completion of the 100th Airbus A320 in Tianjin, Aug 31, 2012. [Photo by Yan Tong/Asianewsphoto]
Merkel held talks with entrepreneurs from both countries and attended the launch of the 100th Airbus A320.
Chengdu, July 2014
Merkel learns how to make kung pao chicken, a spicy Sichuan dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers, at a Sichuan restaurant during her visit to Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, July 6, 2014. Photo provided to China Daily
Merkel chose Chengdu, Sichuan province, as the first stop of this visit and learned how to make kung pao chicken, a well-known local dish.
Merkel visits the FAW-Volkswagen plant in Chengdu, July 6, 2014. [Photo/VCG]
She also visited the FAW-Volkswagen assembly plant in Chengdu's Longquan district, 12 kilometers from the city center.
Hefei, October 2015
Merkel drinks beer brewed by Chinese and German students during their visit to Hefei University in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, Oct 30, 2015. [Photo/IC]
Merkel drinks beer brewed by Chinese and German students during their visit to Hefei University in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, Oct 30, 2015. [Photo/IC]
Merkel, right, talks to children of the Jinputao school in Hefei, Oct 30, 2015. [Photo/VCG]
Merkel also visited a rural family and an elementary school in Dawei town of Hefei, which is a demonstration town for China's new rural construction.
Shenyang, June 2016
Merkel writes on a book near the miniature figurine of herself at the Shenyang Imperial Palace in Shenyang city, Northeast China's Liaoning province, June 14, 2016. [Photo/IC]
Merkel visited the Shenyang Imperial Palace where she was given a Qing-style royal welcome and was presented a miniature dough figurine that looked exactly like her.
Merkel visits China Industrial Museum in Shengyang, capital of Northeast China's Liaoning province, June 14, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]
Merkel also visited China Industrial Museum and the Sino-German manufacturing industrial park.
Hangzhou, September 2016
Merkel arrives at the Hangzhou International Expo Center for the opening ceremony of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Sept 4, 2016. [Photo/VCG]
Merkel attended the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, and met with President Xi Jinping after the conclusion of the summit.
Merkel waits after her meeting with President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the West Lake State House in Hangzhou, Sept 5, 2016. [Photo/VCG]
Merkel congratulated China on the success of the summit, adding that the theme and results were echoed by the vision of the Hamburg summit.
（Source: chinadaily.com.cn)
