BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Germany, France and Norway from Monday to Friday, Beijing said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a statement that Qin will hold meetings with counterparts from the three nations.

“At the invitation of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, state councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Germany, France and Norway from 8 to 12 May,” Wang said.

No further details of Qin’s itinerary were given.

During a visit to Beijing last month, Baerbock said she had expressed concerns about human rights issues in China and warned of the dangers of escalating tensions with Taiwan.

China foreign minister says imperative to stabilise Sino-US relations

Speaking after a meeting with Qin, she urged Beijing to ask “the Russian aggressor to stop the war” in Ukraine, saying “no other country has more influence on Russia than China”.

Colonna was part of a delegation accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron for a state visit in early April.