BEIJING: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the first EU leader to come to Beijing after the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, paid an official visit to China on Friday.
Noting the complex and fluid international landscape, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Scholz that the two major countries, with great influence, should work together “in times of change and instability” and contribute more to global peace and development.
Scholz stressed that his country hopes to maintain communication and coordination with China to better safeguard regional and world peace and security. China-Germany cooperation benefits EU, and the world. As Germany is a pivotal country in the EU, the continent’s prosperity is closely associated with Germany, and thus deepening China-Germany and China-EU cooperation will serve the interests of both sides and beyond. During their meeting, Xi stressed that China is ready to work with Germany to build a future-oriented all-round strategic partnership and push for new progress in China-Germany and China-EU relations.
China and Germany should respect each other, accommodate each other’s core interests, adhere to dialogue and consultation, and jointly resist the interference of camp confrontation, Xi said.
China is ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Germany and the EU in international affairs and jointly find solutions to global issues such as climate change, biodiversity protection and food security, said the president.
Scholz said that the world needs a multi-polar pattern and the role and influence of emerging countries should be taken seriously. Germany opposes camp confrontation, he stressed.
Meanwhile, the two leaders also exchanged views on the crisis in Ukraine. China supports Germany and the EU in playing an important role in promoting peace talks and building a balanced, effective and sustainable European security framework, Xi said.
“This is a critical moment for both Germany and China. Their relationship may not be based on shared political values, but on reciprocal interests, on the common fight against climate change and the strong willingness to build a multilateral world,” said Song Xin, former political adviser at the European Parliament, in an article published on CGTN.
Liu Lirong, an associate professor at the Institute of International Studies of Fudan University also told CGTN that China-Germany cooperation not only benefits the EU but also the world. “China is the second largest economy in the world, and Germany is the largest economy in the EU. Chinese-German cooperation is of great significance in addressing many global challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and global food security,” Liu said.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
