President Xi Jinping has called for greater cooperation with Germany, saying China was willing to open a “new chapter” of partnership, as Beijing continued its efforts to improve ties with European economies to buffer the impact of its trade war with the United States.
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In a call with Germany’s new chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday, Xi said healthy and stable ties between the two countries were in their interests as he urged high-level exchanges and the consolidation of mutual trust.
“China is willing to open a new chapter of all-round strategic partnership with Germany, lead China-Europe relations to new developments, and make new contributions to the stable growth of the global economy,” he said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Calling Germany a “partner” of China, Xi outlined areas of cooperation ranging from traditional fields – including automobiles, machinery manufacturing and chemicals – to other areas such as artificial intelligence.
Xi said Beijing hoped Germany would provide a “fair, transparent and non-discriminatory” business environment for Chinese firms, adding that “the correct positioning for China-Germany and China-EU relations is a partnership”.
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According to CCTV, Merz said Berlin’s cooperation with Beijing was of particular significance given the current international situation, and that the new German government was willing to promote the development of ties in a “constructive and pragmatic spirit”.