Meetings between Premier Li Keqiang and his German counterpart, Angela Merkel, on Oct 29 went far beyond “heated”, with the two leaders pausing for discussion over a substantive topic in the hallway on their way to a signing ceremony.

Shortly before, small-scale talks between the two sides had already run overtime, which was then followed by an efficient and pragmatic large-scale meeting.

During the “hallway talk”, Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde served as interpreter for the two leaders.