Germany's Klingbeil: will discuss rare earths, competitiveness during China trip

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Germany's Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Wednesday he was in discussions with other European finance ministers to coordinate ahead of his trip to China next week, which will include discussion of topics such as competitiveness and rare earths.

Klingbeil will be the first minister of the new coalition in Berlin to visit China after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul postponed his trip, planned for the end of October, after Beijing confirmed only one of his requested meetings.

"The issues at stake are competitiveness, raw materials. Rare earths have also been a recurring topic of discussion in recent weeks. The macroeconomic situation is another factor," he told reporters in Brussels.