German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (left) bids farewell to visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang (center right) in front of Bellevue Palace after their meeting in Berlin on June 19, 2023.The Chinese premier will also co-chair the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation during the visit. Photo: VCG

Chinese Premier Li Qiang stressed that the biggest risk facing China and Germany is a failure to cooperate, and the biggest security threat is failure to develop. Li made the remarks in a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday.
 
Li stated that there are no fundamental conflicts of interest between China and Germany, and that the foundation for cooperation is solid with strong development potential.
 
Chinese Premier Li Qiang kicked off on Sunday his five-day trip to Germany and France, two major European powers and leading members of the EU. This is Li's first foreign trip since taking office in March as China’s new premier.
 
During his visit Li also met with representatives from the German business community.
 
Enterprises should be restored to the driving seat in terms of risk prevention, and risk prevention and cooperation are not opposites, Li said while attending the seminar with representatives of the German business community.

Representatives of German companies including Siemens, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Schaeffler, BASF, Covestro, Wacker Chemie, Merck, SAP and Allianz attended the meeting.
 
Noting that it is understandable that all parties have their own security concerns, Li said that what is important is how to reasonably define and guard against risks.
 
Failure to cooperate is the biggest risk, and failure to develop is the largest source of  insecurity, he noted.
 
With economic globalization, the world’s economy has become interconnected, which entails a dialectical view of dependence. That means refraining from exaggerating the degree of dependence or even simply equating interdependence with insecurity, he added.
 
As for some specific problems, Li urged all parties to analyze them case by case, and jointly prevent and respond to them through consultation and cooperation.
 
Li called all parties to seize opportunities for cooperation, particularly in light of the positive long-term development of the Chinese economy and the mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany.
 
The Chinese premier's comments come at a time when some European politicians are intent on pushing a "de-risking" strategy against China, citing so-called security concerns.
 
The move however has been met with strong resistance from the European business sector as it is against their own economic self-interest.
 
German business representatives attending the seminar said that it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation to eliminate risks, and that decoupling will not work.
 
They also noted that they are willing to further deepen Germany-China cooperation in coping with climate change, and advancing digital transformation, manufacturing, research and development, seeking a basis for win-win cooperation.
 
In 2022, trade between China and Germany reached a record high of 298 billion euros ($320 billion), up 21 percent year-on-year, according to data from the German statistics office. China has been Germany's most important trading partner for seven consecutive years.