German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is continuing his visit to China on Monday in the financial hub of Shanghai, where he is set to meet students at Tongji University and visit an innovation centre of German plastics manufacturer Covestro.
A dinner with the Party Secretary of Shanghai, Chen Jining, is also planned for later in the day.
Shanghai, the second stop on the Chancellor's three-day visit to China, follows a first day in Chongqing, the world's largest city. On Tuesday, he will continue on to Beijing for political talks with President Xi Jinping and premier Li Qiang.
China's reception of Scholz and several business leaders from Europe's largest economy comes as the EU mulls punitive tariffs to protect the bloc's manufacturers from more affordable imported Chinese electric cars.
The German chancellor is accompanied by a dozen chief executives, among them the bosses of car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and BMW, as well as the chemical company BASF. Volkswagen, Europe's largest car manufacturer, is not taking part this time.