Hopes high for improved Sino-German relations

Zhao Junjie, a researcher of European studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, agreed.

"China and Germany are both countries that place emphasis on sustainable development, so there are a lot of opportunities for cooperation," he said.

He urged Germany, which has cutting-edge technologies on green economy, to lower its threshold on exports to China in relevant industries.

Steinmeier's visit to China came two weeks after President Xi and Merkel raised China-Germany ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Xi's first state visit to Germany as president at the end of March.

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Xi's visit marks a new starting point for Beijing-Berlin relations, as both vowed to inject new content into the partnership, Foreign Minister Wang told reporters after meeting with Steinmeier.

To enrich the partnership, Wang said the two sides will map out medium-to-long-term action plans for developing bilateral ties as soon as possible.

Beijing and Berlin will make further efforts to build a high-level economic dialogue mechanism and prepare for the China-Germany year of innovation in 2015, Wang added.

Germany is China's biggest trading and technology partner in the European Union. Bilateral trade in 2013 reached $161.6 billion, 580 times that in 1972, when China and the then-West Germany established diplomatic relations.

Sino-German trade volume - equal to China's combined trade with the United Kingdom, France and Italy - accounts for nearly a third of total trade between China and Europe.

China is Germany's largest trading partner in Asia. Germany is also Europe's largest investor in China, with investment growing by 43 percent last year.

Chinese investment in Germany reached $830 million last year, an increase of 29 percent from 2012.

More than 30,000 Chinese students are studying in Germany and about 5,400 German students are studying in China.

Every week, more than 60 direct flights fly between the two countries.

Zhao Yinan contributed to this story.