President Xi: China-Germany cooperation not ‘risk’ but opportunity
SHANGHAI - The mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany is not a “risk,” Chinese President Xi Jinping told visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.
Xi made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Scholz, who visited Chongqing and Shanghai on the first two days of his three-day trip to China.
Xi has called on both China and Germany to be vigilant against rising protectionism, and view the issue of production capacity objectively and dialectically.
Noting the industrial and supply chains of China and Germany are deeply intertwined and the markets of the two countries are highly interdependent, Xi said mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Germany is not a “risk,” but a guarantee for the stability of bilateral relations and an opportunity for the future.
Xi stressed that China and Germany have enormous potential for win-win cooperation in traditional fields such as machinery manufacturing and automobiles, and in emerging fields such as green transformation, digitalization and artificial intelligence.
“China’s exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products have not only enriched global supply and alleviated global inflationary pressure, but also contributed greatly to the global response to climate change and green and low-carbon transformation,” Xi said.
Noting that both China and Germany depend heavily on industry and support free trade and economic globalization, Xi said the two sides should be vigilant against rising protectionism, look at the issue of production capacity objectively and dialectically from a market-oriented and global perspective, adhere to economic principles, and foster further cooperation.
Scholz said in Chongqing and Shanghai he had experienced the tremendous achievements of China’s economic development in recent years and was impressed by the close cooperation between the business communities of Germany and China.
He voiced opposition to protectionism and expressed support for free trade, saying Germany is willing to strengthen relations with China, deepening dialogue and cooperation in various fields, promoting people-to-people exchanges in education, culture and other areas, which he said are crucial for Germany, China and the world.
The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis, the Gaza conflict and other international and regional issues of common concern.