BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- China said Tuesday it hopes to lift China-Germany relationship to a new height following German President's upcoming visit to China.

    Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told a regular press conference Horst Koehler's China visit would be a "very important" one as it coincides with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of China-Germany diplomatic ties.

    At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, Koehler will pay a state visit from Wednesday to Saturday, his first ever China tour since taking office.

    She said during his stay, Koehler is expected to hold talks with Hu Jintao, and meet with Premier Wen Jiabao and top political advisor Jia Qinglin.

    It accords with the interests of the two peoples that both sides maintain high-level visit, expand and deepen cooperation in various fields and intensify consultation and cooperation on international affairs, said Jiang.

    "We hope to increase consensus while reducing disputes through dialogue, so as to lift bilateral relations to a new level." Jiang added.

    When asked whether the visit might be overshadowed by the human rights issue, Jiang said China and Europe held "positive and constructive" talks during the 23rd round of China-Europe Human Rights Dialogue taking place from May 15 to 16 in Berlin.

    The two sides introduced their latest progress in the human rights fields and agreed to hold the 24th round in Beijing in the second half of this year, said Jiang.