Beijing - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in China on Thursday for talks that were expected to focus on the global financial crisis.

Merkel was scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later in the day before the two leaders join some 40 other heads of state at the biannual Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on Friday and Saturday.

German officials said the fact that Merkel was one of the few foreign leaders making a formal state visit to China for the ASEM summit showed the importance of ties between the two nations.

She is scheduled to meet President Hu Jintao on Friday.

The ASEM summit is also expected to be dominated by talks on the financial crisis, with climate change as the other major topic for the 27 European and 16 Asian nations. (dpa)