China on Tuesday said it is willing to deepen cooperation with Germany, and the win-win collaboration between China and Germany has delivered tangible benefits to both peoples. Beijing also reiterated its readiness to work with Berlin to support free trade and safeguard the rules-based multilateral trading system.
The remarks came ahead of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s official visit to China from February 25 to 26 – his first trip to the country since taking office.
During the visit, President Xi Jinping will meet with Merz, and Premier Li Qiang will hold talks with him to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in a media briefing.
As the world’s second and third-largest economies, China and Germany share broad common interests, and the steady development of bilateral ties serves both countries and meets global expectations, Mao said.
China is ready to take the upcoming visit as an opportunity to enhance mutual understanding and political trust, deepen practical cooperation, and advance bilateral relations in line with the principles of mutual respect, equality and win-win outcomes, the spokesperson said. She added that both sides should work together to contribute more to global peace and prosperity.
On the same day, the Ministry of Commerce highlighted the strength of bilateral economic ties. Its spokesperson said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Germany has remained China’s largest trading partner and source of foreign investment in Europe.
In recent years, bilateral trade has consistently exceeded $200 billion, while two-way investment stock has surpassed $65 billion, accounting for nearly a quarter of China-EU totals. The two economies are deeply integrated, with an increasingly solid foundation for cooperation, the ministry said.
According to the spokesperson, Merz will be accompanied by a high-level business delegation comprising executives from around 30 leading German enterprises in key sectors such as automobiles, chemicals, biopharmaceuticals, machinery manufacturing and the circular economy, reflecting Germany’s strong commitment to expanding economic and trade cooperation.
The spokesperson noted that China attaches great importance to economic ties with Germany and is working closely with the German side to prepare events, including a meeting of the the China-Germany Economic Advisory Committee, aimed at providing a platform for enterprises to exchange views and explore new cooperation potentials.
Noting that this year marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the spokesperson said China welcomes German companies to seize the opportunity to consolidate cooperation in traditional sectors and expand collaboration in emerging fields such as clean energy, embodied artificial intelligence, biotechnology and industrial digitalization.
China stands ready to strengthen communication and mutual trust through dialogue, and to jointly support free trade and promote the high-quality development of bilateral economic cooperation, the spokesperson said, adding that these efforts will help play a stabilizing and driving role in China-Germany and China-EU relations.
SOURCE: CGTN News