German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday, becoming the first Western leader to meet the Chinese president after he secured an unprecedented third five-year term last month.
A meeting with Premier Li Keqiang is also scheduled for the visit which is planned to last just 11 hours on account of restrictions in place to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Scholz heads a business delegation of a dozen top managers, including the chief executives of Volkswagen, BMW, BASF, Bayer and Deutsche Bank.
Ahead of the visit, Chinese dissidents and the World Uighur Congress called for it to be cancelled.
Scholz has vowed to change the way Germany deals with China and promised a "candid exchange" during his inaugural visit to the country. He has pledged to raise "difficult issues" including human rights concerns and how minorities are treated.
The chancellor has also expressed concern about the conflict over Taiwan's status.
