Germany's Merkel to visit China: Beijing

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Beijing next week for talks with Premier Wen Jiabao, China's foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The August 30 to 31 visit will be Merkel's second trip to Beijing this year, reflecting China's growing importance as Europe's leaders grapple with the impact of economic turmoil in the eurozone.

She will co-chair "Chinese-German intergovernmental consultations" with Wen, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement that gave no further details. No one at the German embassy could immediately be reached for comment.

Germany has come under intense pressure to do more to put an end to the eurozone crisis, which is seen as a threat to the global economy, and has hit China's vast manufacturing industry.

Preliminary figures released on Thursday by the British banking giant HSBC showed China's manufacturing activity fell to a nine-month low in August as firms struggled with a slowdown in global demand.

Trade between China and Germany reached $169 billion in 2011, an 18.9-percent increase from the previous year, and next week's visit to China will be Merkel's sixth since she took office in 2006.