China seeks stronger cooperation with Germany

Wang says China, EU should enhance ties

BEIJING:

China considers Germany and the European Union as a whole as strategic partners, and it wants stronger cooperation with them in the spirit of free trade and multilateralism, the Chinese foreign minister told the German chancellor on Saturday.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Chancellor Olaf Scholz China was willing to deepen "all-round cooperation" with Germany as part of positive bilateral efforts to maintain global peace and stability.

Wang was in Germany, the EU's biggest economy, to attend the annual Munich Security Conference and held talks with the EU's foreign policy chief and his Spanish and French counterparts, as well as with Scholz.

According to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang conveyed to Scholz China's appreciation of Germany's "rational and pragmatic" attitude towards the tariffs. He said he hoped Germany would "continue to play a constructive role in resolving trade frictions and other issues between China and the EU as soon as possible," the statement said.

Without giving detail, the statement also said China and the EU should jointly work towards better mutual relations.

According to a separate statement from China, Wang also told his German counterpart on the sidelines of the conference that Germany has been a "stabilising force" in its relations with the EU. Wang said China saw no fundamental conflicts between it and the EU in remarks to Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, also on the conference's sidelines, and said China was willing to work to enhance mutual understanding and pursue global stability.