China and Germany inked 19 bilateral cooperation documents in
Beijing on Monday. Premier Wen Jiabao and visiting German Chancellor
Angela Merkel attended the signing ceremony.
The documents detail cooperation in various fields including
railway technology, financial cooperation, high tech dialogue,
telecommunications, energy, culture and sports. The two sides also
signed a memorandum of understanding on the protection of
intellectual property rights in the textile industry.
The documents were signed at the Great Hall of the People after
talks between Wen and Merkel.
Merkel arrived in Beijing on Sunday night for an official visit
from May 21 to 23 at Wen's invitation. This is Merkel's first visit
to China since she came to power in November 2005.
Merkel is also scheduled to visit Shanghai, the last leg of her
China tour. While there, she will ride on the maglev (magnetic
levitation) train. The Shanghai maglev train project represents the
first Sino-German technological cooperation endeavor.
(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2006)