Photo:VCG

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a phone call on Monday, during which they vowed to further strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation. Li also expressed the hope that Germany treats Chinese companies with a more open mind and continues to play a positive role in the development of China-EU ties.

Cooperation between China and Germany is not only beneficial to the two countries, but also to China, Europe and the world. China is willing to work with Germany to further consolidate political mutual trust, strengthen dialogue and exchanges, uphold bilateral openness, better achieve mutual benefits and win-win results, and promote the steady and long-term development of China-Germany relations, Li told Scholz, according to a Chinese official statement. 

During the phone call, Li also said that governments of the two countries should strive to create a fair and non-discriminatory environment for businesses from both sides, expressing the hope that the German side will treat Chinese enterprises with a more open mind.  

For his part, Scholz said that Germany attaches great importance to China-Germany ties and is willing to work with China to further deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, climate change and epidemic prevention and control, according to the Chinese statement. 

The phone call comes as China-EU relations are facing uncertainties over certain issues, including sanctions and Lithuania's provocation against China over the Taiwan question. On the economic front, the EU has not ratified a massive China-EU bilateral investment deal.

In the phone call,  Scholz said that Germany adheres to the one-China policy and will always strive to promote the sound development of China-EU relations, expressing the hope that the China-EU investment agreement will be able to take effect soon. 

Li also noted that China and the EU are major powers on the global stage and it is necessary to grasp China-EU relations from a long-term, broader perspective, maintain the main theme of dialogue and cooperation, respect each other, and treat each other as equals to promote the stable and sound development of bilateral ties.