Observers question whether the increased investment comes at the cost of softening stances against human rights abuses by the Asian giant, which has used political access as a cudgel to punish countries that criticise its behaviour.
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel started an official visit to China on Thursday.
No details were given on the activists she met.
China and Germany signed a deal on Thursday that will see Chinese airlines buy 130 aeroplanes manufactured by Airbus Group SE.
Previously, Boeing also signed a 300 jets deal with China; however, with the current deal, Airbus might remain ahead of its rivals in booking most commercial aircraft orders.
Founder of Endau Analytics consultancy in Singapore, Shukor Yusof, commented: “Chinese demand for travel is growing and China will need more planes to meet that demand”.
Merkel has a pretty packed schedule in China.
China has worked to broker similar cybersecurity deals that would protect its economic relationships with the USA and Britain. “And Germany is obviously the most important partner for China in economic and political things in Europe”.
In fact, doubts were raised about the effectiveness of such pacts when the security services provider CrowdStrike reported that cyberattacks from China continued in full force after President Xi’s visit to the United States.
“We want to follow quickly”, she added.
It was the first time that Li accompanied a foreign leader to visit a city outside the capital as the premier. However, speaking at an event in Beijing, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang denied the allegations.
Merkel’s visit was a bid to shore up German business interests with China.
Following their talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of 13 deals between the two countries, concerning finance, transportation, communication and healthcare cooperation among other fields.
China Mergers & Acquisitions Association and German Federal M&A Association said they plan to establish an cooperative base in Northeast China, most likely in one of the region’s equipment manufacturing industrial parks.
Merkel said she was confident in the future of bilateral youth exchanges and educational cooperation, vowing to encourage more cooperation between the two countries’ local governments.
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Li proposed for the setting up of an intergovernmental mechanism to coordinate the development strategies of the two countries, since China is promoting its Made in China 2025 strategy, while Germany has its Industry 4.0 strategy.
