China Germany Photo: VCG

 

China and Germany have always been partners of dialogue, development and cooperation, as well as partners for handling global challenges, Chinese President Xi Jinping told German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a phone conversation on Tuesday evening, saying China is willing to carry out more extensive and in-depth cooperation with Germany in tackling such global challenges as sluggish economic recovery in the post-pandemic era, climate change, food crisis and energy crisis. 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Germany, a year of great significance in bilateral relations, Xi said.

Thanks to the joint efforts of generations of Chinese and German leaders, bilateral ties have generally maintained the right direction forward, and the two countries have become strategic partners on all fronts, he said, adding that the development of China-Germany relations enjoys profound public support, broad common interests and rich experience.

China-German cooperation is practical and open, which is the most important feature of bilateral ties that should be maintained, said Xi, listing areas where cooperation can be boosted such as automobile, machinery and chemical industries, as well as trade and services, intelligent manufacturing and digitalization. 

Xi said the two sides should continue to expand consensus through dialogue and manage differences in a constructive manner, hoping Germany to provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises that invest in Germany. 

Xi also emphasized that China believes that prolonging and complicating the Ukraine crisis is not in any parties' interests, and said China supports the EU to pursue sustained peace and stability through exercising its strategic autonomy.

Steinmeier said he's confident about the bright future of bilateral relations, stressing that Germany firmly adheres to the One-China principle and is willing to deepen practical cooperation with China in various fields and maintain close coordination on regional hotspot issues.