Episode Details

President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that the more volatile and turbulent the international situation becomes, the greater the need for China and Germany to strengthen strategic communication, enhance mutual trust and promote the continuous new development of their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi made the remarks when receiving German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as the first foreign leader in the Year of the Horse at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Merz arrived on Wednesday morning for his inaugural visit to China since taking office in May last year.

"The Chinese New Year celebrations continue until the Lantern Festival. Your visit during the Chinese New Year is just like friends and relatives visiting each other," Xi told the German guest, saying that it fully reflects the closeness and high level of China-Germany relations.

Xi called on the two sides to use the stability and vitality of China-Germany ties to promote cooperation in China-European Union relations and contribute to harmony and common good in a turbulent world.

Speaking about the future development of China-Germany relations, Xi said the two countries should strive to be reliable partners that support each other, partners for innovation committed to openness and mutual benefit, and partners in cultural exchanges that understand and respect one another.

Xi stressed that China remains committed to the path of peaceful development and has both the confidence and capability to advance Chinese modernization. China will continue to share development opportunities with countries around the world, including Germany, he said. It is hoped that Germany will view China's development in an objective and rational way, uphold a positive China policy and meet China halfway to work for sustained and steady progress in growing China-Germany relations, Xi said.

The two sides should strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, promote the two-way flow of talent, knowledge and technology, and enhance dialogue and cooperation in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, he said.

Xi said that China and Germany should properly handle the relationship between competition and cooperation, explore mutually beneficial and win-win pathways of cooperation, and jointly keep industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded.

Noting that both China and Germany are major countries with profound cultural heritage, Xi called on the two sides to deepen mutual learning between civilizations, expand people-to-people exchanges and consolidate the public foundation of friendship between the two nations.

Xi also noted the importance of China and Germany upholding the central role of the United Nations and reinvigorating its leading role.

Beijing and Berlin should take the lead in being upholders of multilateralism, practitioners of international rule of law, defenders of free trade and advocates of solidarity and coordination, he said.

Xi said China supports Europe's efforts to strengthen its strategic autonomy and hopes the EU will work with China in the same direction, uphold the positioning of their strategic partnership, adhere to openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and promote greater development of China-EU relations in order to make a larger contribution to world peace and development.

Merz said the German side attaches great importance to its relations with China and remains firmly committed to the one-China policy. Germany stands ready to work with China to carry forward the tradition of friendship, uphold mutual respect, openness and cooperation, and continuously deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he said.

Merz, who is accompanied by a high-level tra