BEIJING, Oct 21 (AFP) - German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel arrived on a fence-mending visit to China Monday but pledged to discuss specific dissident cases and human rights issues with his hosts.

"I will talk about human rights issues in a very open way, but it should be without confrontations," Kinkel told journalists who accompanied him on the three-day visit to Beijing.

"I hope I will get some results," he added.

Kinkel was originally scheduled to visit in July, but Beijing cancelled his trip after the German parliament passed a resolution criticizing human rights in Tibet. Other German moves on human rights also annoyed the Chinese government.

The row was finally ended when Kinkel met his Chinese counterpart Qian Qichen in New York in September.

"Qian Qichen and I have agreed to pursue, in a constructive manner, dialogue on human rights questions," said Kinkel.

"It is important for our two countries to improve relations because China plays an important role in Asia, as Germany does in Europe," he added.

"China is also on the way to becoming a world power. I hope we will be able to build our relations with a view to the future," said the German minister.

Both sides hope the trip will be more than an emergency repair exercise, as Germany's President Roman Herzog is to boost ties further with an official visit to China in November.

But Kinkel confirmed he would not change Germany's stance on human rights, in spite of the concilliatory nature of the trip.

European diplomats have privately expressed concern that such an approach could cause China to retaliate by starting the subversion trial of Chinese dissident Wang Dan during Kinkel's visit.

Wang Dan faces four charges of subversion because of articles he wrote criticizing the Chinese government and because he organized a self-help group for dissidents released from jail.

"It is important for our two countries to improve relations because China plays an important role in Asia and Germany plays an important role in Europe," Kinkel told accompanying journalists.

"China is on the verge of becoming a world power and I hope that our bilateral relations will be built up with a long term perspective," he added.

Both China and Germany have been working hard to improve relations frayed by the June standoff on Tibet and in addition to meeting with Qian Qichen, Kinkel is scheduled to hold talks with President Jiang Zemin and Premier Li Peng.

Kinkel's visit "will be a step forward for Sino-German relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Shen Guofang told a media briefing last Thursday.

"I think some problems have emerged between the two countries, but there have, of course, been improvements in other areas," he added.

Germany is China's largest European trading partner and its fourth largest global trading partner, and last year's bilateral trade stood at 21 billion marks (14.4 billion dollars).

Bonn has made a series of high-profile efforts to promote bilateral economic relations since the two sides resumed official contacts frozen in 1989 -- in 1992.