German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to China.

They discussed several topics on Friday, including deepening economic cooperation. It was a controversial gathering and the first between Xi and a G7 leader since the pandemic began.

Scholz said it is good to have a very intensive exchange on all issues they want to and can discuss in regard to their bilateral relations.

Xi said China and Germany as two major countries should work together in times of change and uncertainty, and contribute more to global peace and development.

Scholz brought a delegation of business leaders with him to China, which is Germany's largest trading partner.

He's facing criticism in Germany for the trip. He is depicted as Xi's puppet in a picture published in a newspaper. Some argue Scholz is prioritizing economic gain over growing concerns about China's human rights issues and maritime expansion.

People protested a decision made by the German government last week. It allows a Chinese state-owned business to invest in a port in Hamburg.

German media report Scholz pushed for the agreement despite objections within his Cabinet.

Professor Wang Yiwei of Renmin University of China says advancing bilateral ties will greatly benefit both sides. He says cooperation between China and Germany has long served as a model for China's ties with the EU and the G7. He says the relationship between China and Germany is a device to stabilize ties with the G7.

Scholz's predecessor, Angela Merkel, was also known for strengthening economic relations with China.

A foreign policy expert in Germany, Hanns Maull, says Scholz is trying to separate politics from economics and normalize economic cooperation with China. He added that the ties between the two countries have been negatively affected by disputes between China and the United States.