On the morning of April 16, President Xi Jinping met with German Chancellor Sebastian Scholz at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
Xi pointed out that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the all-round strategic partnership between China and Germany.Over the past 10 years, despite great changes in the international situation, China-Germany relations have always been developing steadily, with cooperation in various fields constantly consolidated and deepened, providing impetus for the respective development of the two countries. At present, the world's century-old changes are accelerating, and human society is facing more risks and challenges, which cannot be solved without the cooperation of great powers. China and Germany are the second and third largest economies in the world, and the significance of consolidating and developing China-Germany relations transcends the scope of bilateral relations and has an important impact on the Asia-Europe continent and even the whole world. The two countries should look at and develop their bilateral relations from a long-term and strategic perspective, and work together to inject more stability and certainty into the world.
Xi emphasized that both China and Germany have made significant contributions to the progress of human civilization. There is no fundamental conflict of interests between China and Germany, and they do not pose security threats to each other. China-Germany cooperation is beneficial to both sides and to the world. The more turbulent the world is, the more the two sides should enhance the resilience and vitality of the relationship, adhere to the main tone of cooperation and the general direction of development of China-Germany relations, and firmly grasp the position of China and Germany as an all-round strategic partner. China's policy towards Germany remains highly stable and consistent. The two sides should continue to engage closely with an open mind and enhance strategic mutual trust. As long as the two sides insist on mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences, exchanges and mutual understanding, and win-win cooperation, relations between the two countries will continue to be stable and far-reaching.
Xi pointed out that the industrial chain and supply chain of China and Germany are deeply embedded in each other, and the markets of the two countries are highly dependent on each other. Mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany is not a "risk", but a guarantee for the stability of the relationship and an opportunity to create the future. Whether it is in traditional fields such as machinery manufacturing and automotive, or in emerging fields such as green transformation, digitalization and artificial intelligence, the two countries have huge potential for win-win cooperation that needs to be tapped. The two sides should carry forward the distinctive feature of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation and mutual achievements. China's exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products have not only enriched global supply and eased global inflationary pressure, but also made great contributions to the global response to climate change and green low-carbon transformation. Both China and Germany are founded on industry and both support free trade and economic globalization. Both sides should be alert to the rise of protectionism, adhere to the market vision and global vision, and start from the economic laws, look at the issue of production capacity objectively and dialectically, and explore more cooperation. China adheres to the basic national policy of opening up to the outside world, and hopes that Germany will provide a fair, transparent, open and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to develop in Germany. China and Germany have a lot in common on the issue of world multipolarity. Multipolarity is essentially mutual respect and peaceful coexistence among countries with different civilizations, systems and paths. China and Germany should work independently and autonomously in the multilateral arena to promote practical actions by the international community to better address global challenges such as climate change, development imbalance and regional conflicts, so as to make more contributions to the balance and stability of the world.
Mr. Scholz said that the German-Chinese relationship is developing well, with close exchanges between the two sides at all levels and in all fields. The two sides have successfully held consultations between the two governments as well as high-level dialogues in the fields of strategy, finance and other areas, and will also hold dialogues on climate change and green transformation. Over the past two days, representatives of the German business community and I have visited Chongqing and Shanghai, where we have experienced the great achievements of China's economic development in recent years, and have been impressed by the close and good cooperation between the German and Chinese business communities. Germany is willing to continue to strengthen relations with China, deepen bilateral dialog and cooperation in various fields, and promote humanistic exchanges in education, culture and other fields, which are of vital importance to Germany, China and the world. Germany is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, and is committed to safeguarding the multilateral international order and promoting world peace and development, and does not agree with confrontation. Germany opposes protectionism and supports free trade. As an important member of the European Union, Germany is ready to play an active role in promoting good relations between the EU and China.
The two leaders also had an in-depth exchange of views on the crisis in Ukraine and expressed China's and Germany's commitment to abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, to oppose the use of nuclear weapons or attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities, to appropriately address the issue of international food security and to abide by international humanitarian law.
Xi emphasized that, under the current circumstances, in order to prevent the conflict from spiraling up or even spiraling out of control, all parties should work together to restore peace at an early date. To that end, the following principles should be grasped: first, they should focus on the overall situation of peace and stability, rather than seeking their own selfish interests. Secondly, we should cool down the situation rather than pour oil on the fire. Thirdly, we should build up the conditions for the restoration of peace, rather than further intensifying conflicts. Fourthly, we should reduce the negative impact on the world economy and refrain from destabilizing the supply chain of the global industrial chain. China is not a party to or involved in the Ukrainian crisis, but has been urging peace and promoting talks in its own way. China encourages and supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis, supports the timely convening of an international peace conference endorsed by the Russian and Ukrainian sides, with the equal participation of all parties, and with fair discussions on all peace options, and is ready to maintain close communication with all parties concerned, including Germany.
The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The two sides agreed that UN Security Council Resolution 2728 should be implemented to prevent the expansion of the situation, avoid further deterioration of the situation, ensure unimpeded and sustainable humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, support an early negotiated settlement of the question of Palestine on the basis of the two-State solution, and call on influential countries to play a constructive role in safeguarding regional peace and stability and in promoting an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine. It calls upon influential countries to play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability and in promoting an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine.
After the meeting, Xi and Scholz took a walk and had lunch together, exchanging further in-depth views on a wide range of topics.
Wang Yi participated in the meeting.
