"It is good that patience is paying off and that there are signs that there are further talks between China and the United States," Scholz told reporters during a visit to Beijing. He added it would be good if this development were successful.

He said Germany and China had agreed that it was important to send a signal that the world remained multilateral and that everyone was trying to cooperate.

(Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Michelle Martin; Editing by Paul Carrel)