On the evening of January 28, 2009, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in the German capital of Berlin for an official visit to the country.

About 11:00 pm, Premier Wen’s special plane landed at Berlin Tegel Airport. Wen was greeted by German government officials, Chinese Ambassador to Germany Ma Canrong, as well as the staff of the Chinese embassy in Germany and representatives from Chinese-funded institutions, overseas Chinese and Chinese students.

Upon his arrival at the airport, Wen said in a written statement that he was very glad to pay an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “Upon my arrival in Berlin, I would like to extend, on behalf of the Chinese people, Chinese lunar new year greetings and good wishes to the German people,” he said.

Wen said currently Sino-German relations are faced with a sound opportunity of development. The two nations have maintained frequent high-level contacts, and economic and trade cooperation has been expanding steadily, Wen said. Both sides also witnessed fruitful dialogues on such fields as science and technology, education, culture, and youth exchanges, he noted. Bilateral consultation and coordination on international affairs have also been strengthened, he added.

The premier said he looked forward to exchanging in-depth views with Chancellor Merkel and other German leaders on bilateral ties and international and regional issues of common concern in a bid to build up mutual trust and broaden consensus between the two nations. Wen also expressed the belief that his visit will further push forward the Sino-German partnership, which bears a global responsibility.

During his two-day visit to Germany, Wen will hold talks German Chancellor Angela Merkel and meet with German President Horst Koehler. He will also attend a forum on Sino-German economic and technical cooperation and deliver a speech.

Germany is the second leg of Wen's European tour after Switzerland, where he attended the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The trip will also take him to the European Union headquarters, Spain and Britain.