BEIJING, Feb. 25 -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday that cooperation between China and Germany is the only optimal solution to address risks, and development is the only option for both sides to ensure security.
Li made the remarks when attending a symposium of the China-Germany economic advisory committee in Beijing together with visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
"The more severe the situation is, the more China and Germany should strengthen cooperation," said Li.
Amid mounting instability and uncertainty in the world economy, Li said that China and Germany have -- as two major economies and through close, continuous cooperation -- not only expanded the space for their own development but also created driving forces for the world economy.
Li noted that both the Chinese and German economies are showing positive recovery momentum, and that there will be broader space for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, which began this year.
The basic China-Germany cooperation pattern featuring industry complementarity has not changed, and the areas in which the two countries can collaborate far exceed those in which the two sides are locked in competition, Li said, adding that promoting development hand-in-hand by shaping a sound relationship defined by both competition and cooperation is entirely possible.
Eyeing higher-level mutually beneficial results, Li urged coordinated efforts from China and Germany in three major areas.
First, Li called for the basic foundations of traditional cooperation to be strengthened, with enterprises from the two countries continuing to deepen cooperation in fields such as machinery, equipment and chemicals, and accelerating the localization of their business.
Second, on new opportunities for future development, Li said the two countries should support enterprises and scientific research institutions to promote the two-way flow of innovative resources, come together to explore third-party markets, and carry out joint, in-depth research on technology and platform construction to share cooperation outcomes.
Third, Li urged the creation of a favorable environment for investment and business. China will steadfastly expand its high-level opening-up and actively address the reasonable demands of enterprises funded by Germany and other countries, Li said, expressing China's hope that the German government will provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises operating in the country.
China also hopes that Chinese and German entrepreneurs will play key roles in promoting economic and trade cooperation, in enhancing communication and understanding between the two sides, and in promoting the stability of bilateral relations, Li added.
Noting that Germany and China are important trading partners for each other, Merz said that these bilateral economic and trade relations -- characterized by vitality -- have sustained high-level development over the years, effectively promoting the economic growth of both countries.
He added that Germany is committed to mutual learning and the exchange of experience with China, and to enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation in such fields as automobiles, chemicals, machinery, renewable energy and the digital economy, with the aim of fostering common prosperity and supporting the stable, long-term development of Germany-China relations.
Germany supports German enterprises in deepening their investment in the Chinese market, is willing to improve its business environment continuously, and welcomes more Chinese companies to invest and operate in Germany, creating jobs and strengthening connectivity, he said.
