German foreign minister heads to Beijing for talks

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul heads to China Monday for his first visit as Berlin toughens its stance on Beijing over trade disputes and geopolitical conflicts, in line with European partners.



Wadephul is set to meet with his Chinese counterpart, as well as the trade minister and head of the Communist Party's international relations department



His trip was postponed from October at the last minute, because China had only confirmed one of his requested meetings.



The Beijing talks would focus on economic relations between Europe and Asia's largest economies.



On Tuesday, Wadephul will visit the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou.



Wadephul, a conservative, told Reuters in an October interview he planned to urge China to relax export restrictions on products such as rare earths and semiconductors that were key to German industry.



Germany last month established a committee of experts to advise parliament on "security-relevant trade relations" with China, part of a push to reduce reliance on China as a supplier of key materials and customer for Germany's industrial exports.