German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Meets with Wang Yi
On February 17, 2024, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Wang Yi, also member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, first conveyed cordial greetings from the Chinese leadership and congratulated the Munich Security Conference on its 60th anniversary as it has become an international security policy forum with global influence today.
Wang Yi said the current international situation is undergoing frequent disorders with recurring hotspot issues and a sluggish global economy. China, a responsible major country, will serve as a staunch force for stability in the turbulent world. China also supports Germany in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs. China is willing to work with Germany to understand and support each other, enhance mutual trust, strengthen collaboration, and jointly provide more stability and certainty to the world.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-germany all-round strategic partnership. Wang said the two sides should take stock of their successful experiences, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and pursue complementarity of advantages so as to benefit the two peoples.
Wang Yi said China is focusing on advancing Chinese modernization, upholding high-quality development, and pushing forward high-standard opening up. The march toward modernization of more than 1.4 billion people will bring an even greater market and long-term development opportunities for all countries including Germany. The two sides should eliminate disturbances, continue to pursue openness and free trade, give full play to the role of economic and trade cooperation as the ballast, and provide a predictable policy environment for this.
Olaf Scholz asked Wang Yi to convey his sincere greetings to the Chinese leadership and said that Germany is ready to work with China to make good preparations for high-level exchanges this year and push for more substantive achievements.
He said the German economy is deeply integrated in globalization and that its development benefits from free trade. The German side opposes protectionism, and decoupling and severing industrial and supply chains. Germany is glad to see China’s development and revitalization and is ready to provide a sound business environment in Germany for companies from other countries.
Olaf Scholz said the current international situation is undergoing a difficult moment, and that Germany is ready to work with China to play a positive role in maintaining peace and stability.