Baerbock's trip follows a meeting in Brazil this month between Xi and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz -- their second this year.

Those talks saw Xi call for Beijing and Berlin to develop ties with a "strategic" and "long-term" perspective.

"German Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will visit China from December 2 to 3," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a statement. The diplomat last visited China in April 2023.

The importance of China for the German economy has led Scholz to try and chart a middle course during his time in office.

The German leader has not matched the harsh trade rhetoric coming out of the United States and some European countries, instead seeking to be a critical partner to Beijing.

China was the largest trading partner last year for Germany, Europe's biggest economy, which is expected to shrink for a second year in a row.

German industry has been hit by elevated energy prices in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and by rising competition from Chinese manufacturers.

The challenges have been particularly acute for Germany's car manufacturers, which have made huge profits in China but now face local competition, particularly in the growing market for electric vehicles.