(Xinhua/Li Xiang)
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who is on an official visit to China, in Beijing on Wednesday.
China and Germany are the world’s second and third largest economies, and their bilateral relations not only have influence on the interests of the two countries, but also have a significant impact on Europe and the world, Xi noted.
The current international situation is experiencing the most profound transformation since the end of World War II, Xi said, adding that the more turbulent and complex the world becomes, the more China and Germany should strengthen strategic communication, increase strategic mutual trust, and promote the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
Xi put forward three suggestions for the future development of China-Germany relations.
First, the two countries must be reliable and mutually supportive partners.
China and Germany have pursued self-reliance and achieved rapid development, Xi said, stressing that the two countries have always maintained mutual respect, mutual trust and open cooperation, and written a successful and mutually beneficial history together.
China adheres to the path of peaceful development and has the ability and confidence to realize Chinese modernization, Xi said, adding that China will continue to share development opportunities with Germany and the whole world.
China hopes that Germany will view China’s growth objectively and rationally, adopt a positive and pragmatic policy toward China, and jointly work for the stable and sustainable development of bilateral relations, he added.
Second, the two countries should be innovative partners advocating openness and win-win results.
The German government has proposed new development strategies in areas such as technology, innovation and digital development, Xi noted, emphasizing that they strongly resonate with China’s goal of pursuing smart, green and integrated development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
Xi said the two sides should strengthen synergy between their development strategies, support the mutual circulation of talents, knowledge and technologies, and promote dialogue and cooperation in artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.
The two sides should properly understand the interaction between competition and cooperation, explore avenues of cooperation to achieve win-win results, and jointly work towards the stability and smoothness of industrial and supply chains, he added.
Third, the two countries must be partners who understand each other and share close ties through cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
China and Germany, as major countries with profound cultural heritage, should strengthen mutual cultural learning and intensify people-to-people exchanges, so as to consolidate the people’s basis of China-Germany friendship, he said.
As changes not seen in a century accelerate, countries must jointly address challenges and work for a shared future, Xi said.
Xi said China and Germany should uphold the central role of the United Nations, reinvigorate their leading role and set an example as defenders of multilateralism, practitioners of the international rule of law, defenders of free trade and promoters of solidarity and coordination.
Xi said China supports Europe in its quest to increase its autonomy and strength, and hopes that the European side will work together with China in the same direction, maintain the positioning of strategic partners, and uphold openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, so as to promote greater growth of China-EU relations and make greater contributions to world peace and development.
The two leaders exchanged views on the Ukrainian crisis. Xi explained China’s principled position, saying finding solutions through dialogue and negotiation is essential to resolving this issue.
Xi stressed the need to ensure equal participation of all parties to lay a solid foundation for peace, address the legitimate concerns of all parties to strengthen the will for peace, and achieve common security to build a lasting framework for peace.
