BERLIN: Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived here on Sunday for an official visit to Germany, where he will also hold the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation.
Upon his arrival, Li said Beijing is ready to work with Berlin to further explore cooperation potential and push for new development in bilateral ties.
Li noted that Germany is the first stop of his first overseas visit since he became Chinese premier, and this visit will carry forward the two countries’ traditional friendship, and deepen their cooperation.
Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulations and held a telephone conversation with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, providing strategic guidance for the development of bilateral ties, said Li.
In recent years, the China-Germany relationship has seen steady progress, Li said, adding that bilateral cooperation has been continuously deepened and expanded, with new achievements being made in such areas as economy and trade, technologies, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as green development.
He pointed out that the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation is the first time the newly formed governments of two countries interface with each other in such an all-around fashion.
The Chinese side is ready to engage in frank and in-depth exchanges with the German side based on the principles of mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and achieving mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, to further explore cooperation potential, properly handle differences, and enrich their all-round strategic partnership, so as to send a positive and strong signal for maintaining stable global supply chains and world peace and prosperity, Li said.
Noting that the world today has arrived at a new period of turbulence and changes, Li said the more chaos and changes this world is witnessing, the stronger a need should be advocated for the people of the two countries to carry forward their traditional friendship, enhance exchanges and cooperation, pool their wisdom, overcome challenges, and seize opportunities.
Li expressed Beijing’s willingness to work with Berlin to push for new development in China-Germany ties and create a bright future for humanity by following the major consensus reached between the heads of state of the two countries.
During his stay in Germany, Li will meet with German President Steinmeier, chair the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, attend the China-Germany Economic and Technical Cooperation Forum and a round table for Chinese and German entrepreneurs, meet with representatives from German industrial and business communities, and visit Germany companies in Bavaria state.
Li left Beijing on Sunday afternoon by chartered plane. At the invitation of Scholz and the French government, he came to Germany for the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation and an official visit, and will pay an official visit to France and attend the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact.
State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong and other accompanying officials left Beijing by the same plane.
On Sunday evening local time, Li’s chartered plane arrived at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Honor guards flanked the red carpet, and representatives of the German government and Chinese Ambassador to Germany Wu Ken waited at the airport to welcome them.
For global recovery
“Premier Li has chosen Germany as the first stop of his first overseas trip since taking office. This fully shows the importance China attaches to its relations with Germany. The mechanism of intergovernmental consultation, with the Chinese premier and the German chancellor as its co-chairs, is a ‘super engine’ of cooperation between the two countries,” Wang the spokesperson told the media at the Thursday press briefing.
Li Chao, assistant director of the Institute of European Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the possible topics that could be discussed between China and Germany will generally focus on practical cooperation in the fields such as dealing with risks that could affect the economic security, the further coordination on climate change, as well as the global hot spot issues including the Ukraine crisis and the reconciliation wave in the Middle East.
At the Thursday press conference, Wang said, “Premier Li and his delegation will fully review and advance practical cooperation in various areas at the seventh China-Germany intergovernmental consultation. Premier Li will also attend the 11th China-Germany Economic and Technical Cooperation Forum and have in-depth exchanges with representatives from the economic communities of the two countries.”
Li Chao said the intergovernmental consultation is a special mechanism for Germany to interact with other major powers, and its scale is larger than the normal meeting between heads of governments, as it has more ministerial-level officials involved and more in-depth and extensive issues discussed.
In previous years, China-Germany intergovernmental consultation was postponed due to COVID-19, so this round of consultation will send a strong signal to the outside world that China-Germany exchanges and high-level government exchanges are back to normal, experts said.
Scholz is the first European leader to visit China after the 20th CPC National Congress, and Premier Li Qiang’s return visit is conducive to maintaining senior-level exchanges, Li Chao noted. He also noted that economic and trade cooperation has always been a pillar of the bilateral relations. German exports to China have declined recently, so through the talks, “we can build bridges for businesses and help restore stability in bilateral economic and trade relations.”
