Germany will host a G20 Summit in Hamburg, themed “Shaping an Interconnected World,” whose major agenda topics include ensuring stability, improving viability for the future and accepting responsibility. How do these issues relate to last year’s Hangzhou

Actually, the two governments had close consultations before the G20 Hangzhou Summit, exchanging views on the agendas of the two summits. Therefore, the meetings have certain common agenda items, besides which, Germany has attached much importance to two aspects: digitalization and public health. Since Germany took over the rotating G20 presidency last December, various G20-related international conferences have taken place in Germany, almost on a monthly basis, such as meetings of agriculture, finance and foreign ministers. High-ranking delegations from China have participated in all of these events. Initiative in 2013, Germany had deep concerns about the proposal, worrying it would serve only the geopolitical interests of China and expand China’s influence through exports of its production capacities. Therefore, heated debate over Germany’s potential participation in the initiative occurred, and research into and assessment of the strategy took place. In the past three years, German people have gradually found that China has been sincere in promoting the initiative with concrete steps and that the strategy would probably bring Germany many business opportunities. Against this backdrop, Germany cast off its doubts and became more and more active in the initiative.

In the past three years, Germany has not only joined the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), but also secured one of the AIIB’s five vice president posts. Germany is also the European country which enjoys the strongest voting right in the AIIB. At present, many ChinaEurope freight trains run through Germany, and bilateral railway cooperation is continually moving forward. In March last year, China and Germany signed a memorandum of cooperation on a railway freight route connecting the two nations and agreed to strengthen cooperation in exploring third-party markets. For instance, the two countries have cooperated in Afghanistan on issues including training mining industry personnel and disaster mitigation and relief. Currently, our cooperation in Afghanistan is continually expanding, showing common support for the peaceful reconstruction of the Central Asian country.

China is the largest economy at the eastern end of the Belt and Road, as well as in Asia, while Germany is the largest economy in Europe. The spacious Eurasian continent provides vast cooperation potential for China and Germany.