President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrive for an official welcoming ceremony for a pair of pandas, one male and one female, at the Berlin Zoo on Wednesday. JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-Germany diplomatic ties. During Xi's first state visit to Germany, the countries lifted bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Bilateral trade volume reached $151.3 billion in 2016, and China became Germany's largest trading partner for the first time last year.

Ulrich Blum, a German economist at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, said the two countries are ideal partners that complement each other in various fields.

“Germany has a stable industrial structure and high-end technology. What it lacks is markets of sufficient size in which it can roll out its competencies and scale up production. Those are available in China,” Blum said.

China's intelligent workforce has generated growth rates in recent decades of about 10 percent annually, he said, adding that it is one of the key factors in Germany's global success.

Zhou Wa contributed to this story.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn

Infographic: Charting China-Germany ties