On June 18, Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Germany, starting a visit to strengthen comprehensive and substantive bilateral cooperation.
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| Is Premier Li Qiang's visit to Germany a good sign for bilateral relations? (Source: Reuters) |
On June 18, Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Berlin to hold the seventh round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultations as part of his official visit to Germany. Earlier, in April, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz invited his Chinese counterpart to visit Berlin for dialogue aimed at "cooling down" relations between Europe and Beijing.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, chair the seventh China-Germany Intergovernmental Consultation with his host counterpart Olaf Scholz, attend the China-Germany Economic and Technical Cooperation Forum, meet with representatives of the German business and industrial communities, and visit German companies in Bavaria.
Li Qiang stressed that Berlin is the first stop on his first overseas visit since taking office as Chinese Premier and that the visit will promote the traditional friendship of the two countries, expand areas of cooperation and new prospects in bilateral relations.
According to the leader, over the past years, bilateral relations have witnessed steady growth, unlocking many new achievements from economy-trade, technology, cultural exchange, to green development. On the Chinese side, Beijing affirmed its willingness to have frank and substantive exchanges with Berlin based on the principle of mutual respect, seeking common ground while preserving differences to achieve mutually beneficial results.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that this is a good opportunity to continue exploring the potential for cooperation, properly handle differences and enrich the comprehensive strategic partnership. Such efforts will send a positive and strong signal to maintain a stable, peaceful and prosperous global supply chain.
Notably, Mr. Li Qiang's visit took place in the context of Germany announcing on June 14 its first National Security Strategy in the history of the Federal Republic. In this document, Berlin once again emphasized the view that Beijing is "both an opponent, a partner, and a systemic challenge."
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