ANKARA

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in China on a three-day visit Sunday amid trade tensions and differences over the Ukraine conflict, Chinese state media reported. 

Scholz's first destination was the city of Chongqing in southwest China, to visit German technology supplier Bosch's hydrogen fuel cell plant.

He is also scheduled to visit the financial hub of Shanghai on Monday before traveling to the capital Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday.

This is Scholz's second visit to China since taking office in late 2021. His previous visit was in November 2022.

Germany’s economy has benefited from China’s demand for investment and manufactured items from cars to chemicals, but growing rifts over issues including Chinese trade practices and its support for Russia, have frayed the trade relations between the two global economies.

Still, China remained Germany’s top trading partner for the eighth straight year in 2023, with $271 billion trade volume.

China has refused to criticize Russia’s war on Ukraine, which started more than two years ago, and has maintained trade relations with Moscow.​​​​​​​