Chinese President Xi Jinping holds wide-ranging discussions with new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
ANKARA (AA) – China and Germany are “defenders of multilateralism” who need to work together for the “shared future of mankind,” the president of China said in a Tuesday phone call with Germany’s new chancellor.
President Xi Jinping told Chancellor Olaf Scholz that China and Germany “need to work together to meet challenges and make new contributions to global governance,” according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“Both China and Germany are defenders of multilateralism and contributors to global development,” he said, calling for them to boost cooperation to “find practical solutions to problems concerning the shared future of mankind.”
“Both sides need to seek settlement of regional hotspot issues through dialogue, uphold and strengthen the principle of democracy in international relations, and firmly oppose all forms of hegemony and Cold War mentality,” Xi said, using a term Beijing has repeatedly used to denounce the US’ moves to build alliances against China.
“Only when countries develop together can there be true development,” he stressed.
– Ties with EU
Xi told Scholz that Beijing hopes Germany will continue to play a positive role in stabilizing China-EU ties and “inject stability and positive energy into the relationship.”
“China and the EU are two major independent forces in the world with broad strategic consensus and common interests,” he said.
Emphasizing that China greatly values its relations with Germany, Xi said cooperation between the two countries remains a “bellwether” of collaboration between China and Europe.
Relations between China and Germany have shown “ample vitality, endurance, resilience and potential,” and the two countries should “embrace a global vision” as they strive further strengthen their ties, the statement quoted Xi as saying.
Scholz said he was ready to enhance friendship and cooperation between Germany and China, according to a brief press release by the German government.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement said the German chancellor expressed willingness to work with Beijing to uphold multilateralism in international affairs.
He said the two sides have developed strong trade and investment relations along with “close cooperation in confronting such global challenges as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, and close communication on such regional affairs as the Afghan issue and the Iranian nuclear issue.”
Scholz said Germany wants to work with China in the spirit of mutual respect and trust to bolster their strategic partnership, strengthen practical cooperation in such areas as clean energy, digital economy and services, and promote EU-China relations in a constructive manner.
– ‘Major countries with important influence’
Beijing and Berlin “should chart the general course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective,” the Chinese president said.
“Both China and Germany are major countries with important influence. A sound development of bilateral relations not only serves the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, but also contributes to world peace and stability,” he added.
Xi stressed the need to “actively promote mutually beneficial cooperation in a practical manner.”
“The economies of China and Germany have benefited a lot from each other’s development. China has been Germany’s largest trading partner for five consecutive years, and bilateral economic and trade cooperation has kept growing against the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Xi called for the two sides to “actively explore new areas of cooperation such as new energy and green and digital economy, and unleash the growth potential of trade in services.”
“China welcomes German enterprises to leverage advantages and seize the new opportunities brought by China’s opening-up … China believes that closer cooperation between China and Germany within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative will benefit Belt and Road countries and promote connectivity of the Eurasian continent,” he said.