Schröder’s Trade Tour Heads for China

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder will begin his fifth visit to China in as many years on Monday, as his latest trade tour underlines the significance he attaches to pushing the "Made in Germany" brand. German exports to China jumped 28 percent between January and August 2003 while big-name companies such as Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler, Siemens, Deutsche Post and Bayer are firmly implanted there. The chancellor will meet with government and business leaders in his three-day visit before moving onto Kazakhstan, a nation of as yet largely untapped commercial potential. Schröder, fresh from a two-day visit to the United States also focused on trade, has made no secret that he believes one of his diplomatic jobs is promoting the German economy abroad. Germany this year regained the status of the world's biggest exporter, which it had lost under the costs of German reunification in 1990.