China premier meets Germany’s Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang for the third round of high-level talks on mutual cooperation.

Merkel and German President Joachim Gauck welcomed Li along with his entire cabinet and an entourage of 130 business chieftains in Berlin on Friday.

China’s 14 ministers met 12 German counterparts during a meeting to discuss cooperation in such fields as climate change and agriculture.

Both sides agreed to sign about 30 deals worth in excess of two billion euros (USD 2.5 billion) in various sectors including health, education and the environment.

The negotiations follow growing disquiet over human rights issues and business regulations in the two powerhouse nations.

China is still grappling with Hong Kong’s anti-election law student protests, while Germany is apparently ill prepared in the face of a potential slide into recession.

Economy experts are predicting another contraction for Germany for the third quarter, which would technically be labeled a recession.

The downturn suggests that Germany will fail to support the economy of the eurozone, which registered no growth in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters thronged the streets of Hong Kong for nearly two weeks, demanding that China withdraw its decision to handpick candidates for the 2017 Hong Kong elections.

China has said it will introduce universal suffrage for the polls, but wants a committee to approve the candidates.

The Chinese prime minister’s visit to Germany follows a visit by Merkel to China in July, her seventh official trip to the Asian nation.

Li will next travel to Russia, which is embroiled in a standoff with the West over the crisis in Ukraine.

GMA/HSN/SS