The trip comes amid rising voices within Scholz's ruling coalition calling for a rethink of Germany's China policy, and growing public concern about Berlin's commercial reliance on the global economic powerhouse. One in two Germans wish that Germany's economy could be more independent from China, a survey published by ARD broadcaster showed on Thursday. China has been Germany's biggest trading partner for the past six years, with volumes reaching over 245 billion euros ($238.9 billion) in 2021. During the trip, where Scholz will meet Xi and prime minister Li Keqiang, the German Chancellor is expected to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, hoping that China can convince Russia to end hostilities. But Xi expressed his concerns over Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two leaders met in September.

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