China-Germany ties at a glance

Culture

The two countries signed the Agreement on Cultural Exchange in 1979. Since then, frequent activities have been conducted in cultural contacts, artistic expositions and commercial performances.

For example, the Chinese Culture Center opened in Berlin in 2008 providing a window for exchanges and mutual understanding; Activities were held in more than 40 cities in Germany during the 2012-2013 Chinese Culture Year; China and Germany held many activities for the Language Year in 2013; and the year 2016 was called the China-German Youth Exchange Year.

Education

By the end of 2018, Chinese students studying in Germany had exceeded 36,900, according to a German report, the largest group of foreign students in the country. There are about 30,000 German experts in China and 8,200 German students as well.

By the end of June 2019, there were 19 Confucius Institutes and two Confucius Classrooms in Germany.

The Goethe-Institute is Germany's worldwide cultural institute. Established in 1988, its Beijing branch was the earliest overseas cultural organization in China.

The two countries signed a mutual recognition agreement on higher education qualifications in April 2002, the first of its kind signed by China and a developed western country.

Tourism

First Chinese tour groups set off for Germany in February 2003.

About 643,700 Germans visited China in 2018, and Germany is China's largest source of travelers from the EU.

In 2018, 786,000 Chinese mainland residents chose Germany as their first stop abroad.