Xi says China, Germany need to view ties from long-term, strategic perspective

RIO DE JANEIRO: China and Germany need to view and develop bilateral relations from a long-term and strategic perspective, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday.

Xi made the remarks while meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Xi said the two sides had candid, in-depth and fruitful discussions during Scholz’s visit to China in April. Over the past months, cooperation between the two countries has achieved notable results in areas such as green development, sustainable transportation, and cooperation on agricultural developments in Africa. Meanwhile, bilateral relations have continued to show new strength and vitality, Xi said.

As the second- and third-largest economies in the world, China and Germany are major countries with significant influence, Xi said, stressing the need to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership from a long-term and strategic perspective.

Xi stressed that China’s policy toward Germany remains highly stable and consistent. China is willing to work with Germany to uphold mutual respect for each other’s core interests and major concerns, adhere to seeking common ground while reserving differences, and promote mutual learning through exchanges.

With deep economic interdependence between China and Germany, their cooperation represents opportunities for shared development and a jointly created future, Xi noted. China regards Germany as an important partner in advancing Chinese modernization and will continue to provide German companies with broad market opportunities, he said.

Both sides should focus on digitalization, intelligent technologies, and low-carbon development to upgrade and enhance their cooperation. They should also jointly explore third-party markets to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results. China views Europe as a significant pole in a multipolar world and is committed to collaborating with Europe to address challenges and promote the stable and healthy development of relations between China and Europe.

Regarding the EU’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, which has attracted global attention, China remains committed to resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation and hopes that Germany will continue to play a key role in this process, Xi said.

Scholz said that bilateral relations have seen positive developments since his last visit to China. He said that strengthening communication and cooperation between Germany and China is crucial in the current complex international environment.

Germany hopes to further develop its comprehensive strategic partnership with China and enhance bilateral and multilateral dialogues and cooperation in the spirit of equality, candidness and mutual respect, he said.

Scholz also expressed hope that the electric vehicle issue would be resolved through dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible, adding that Germany is willing to make active efforts toward this goal.