BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Berlin on Tuesday (July 4) for talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the G20 summit in Germany’s second largest city of Hamburg, which starts on Thursday (July 7).
Merkel, hosting the meeting of the G20 leaders, and Xi will dine on Tuesday and discuss G20 strategy over lunch on Wednesday.
After that, the two leaders will indulge in classic “panda diplomacy,” opening a $10-million Chinese compound in Berlin Zoo for Meng Meng and Jiao Qing – two giant pandas that China is lending to Germany as a token of friendship.