Xi highlights China and Germany's people-to-people exchanges

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Europe

China has plans to increase people-to-people exchanges with Germany, said visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping in a joint statement with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.

During a meeting with Merkel the same day, Xi called on China and Germany to give full play to a newly-launched high-level cultural and people-to-people exchange and dialogue mechanism in order to deepen cooperation in related sectors.

President Xi expressed his hope that such people-to-people exchanges would advance bilateral ties as well as China's relations with Europe.

Chinese students learn Chinese calligraphy with German students at the Elementary School affiliated to Renmin University of China in Beijing, October 14, 2015. /CFP Photo

According to China's foreign ministry, 625,000 German nationals visited China in 2016, an increase of 7.2% on annual basis. Some 662,000 Chinese visited Germany the same year, up 19.7% from 2015.

"With 91 pairs of sister provinces/states and cities between us, our two countries also enjoy frequent and close exchanges at the sub-national level," reads a signed article published by President Xi on mainstream German media ahead of his state visit to Germany.

By the end of 2013, there had been 72 pairs of sisterly ties between the two countries.

Below is a list of the sister provinces/states between China and Germany:

CGTN Photo