Wang Yi Holds a Virtual Meeting with New German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock

On January 20, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a virtual meeting with new German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Wang Yi once again congratulated Baerbock on her appointment as German Foreign Minister. Wang Yi said, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Germany, and it is an important year worthy of joint commemoration by both sides. Over the past 50 years, with mutual respect and complementary advantages, China and Germany have promoted their respective economic development and established an all-round strategic partnership. At the beginning of the new year, President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and they agreed to chart the general course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective and constantly enrich the connotations of the all-round strategic partnership. During the recent phone conversation, Premier Li Keqiang and Chancellor Scholz agreed to deepen and expand pragmatic cooperation. We should implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, summarize the development experience of bilateral relations, and stay committed to acting as models of win-win cooperation, leaders in China-EU relations, promoters of a new type of international relations, and cooperation partners transcending differences in the social system. We should constantly consolidate the keynote of dialogue and cooperation in China-Germany relations, expand win-win cooperation that underpins China-Germany relations, strengthen the political design of high-level exchanges between the two countries in the next stage, and jointly lead the sound and stable development of bilateral relations, thus greeting the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Germany in a more active manner.

Wang Yi said, China-Germany relations have been resilient and stable, with cooperation being the best portrayal. Over the past 50 years, the bilateral trade volume between China and Germany has increased more than 800 times. Last year, the bilateral trade volume overcame the impact of the pandemic and reached a record high, fully verifying the complementarity of the two economies and the resilience of economic and trade relations between the two countries. The two sides should provide better expectations and policy frameworks for cooperation, and jointly create new highlights for cooperation in fields such as digital economy, communication, trade in services, agricultural science and technology, and green development. German enterprises are welcome to expand their investment in China, and we hope that Germany will uphold the principle of fairness and justice, eliminate external interference, and provide a sound business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Germany.

Baerbock said, she is very glad to hold the first meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister as the first foreign minister of the new federal government, and would like to deliver a wish for a happy Year of the Tiger in advance, which symbolizes intelligence and swiftness. Germany stays committed to developing a stable partnership with China, will continue to pursue the one-China principle, and take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in various fields. Germany is willing to equally treat foreign enterprises in Germany, including the Chinese ones.

Both sides agreed on the following: hold proper celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, make good preparations for the seventh round of China-Germany inter-governmental consultations, and seek greater synergy and plan for future cooperation; give full play to the role of dialogue mechanisms at all levels, such as the High-Level Financial Dialogue, the Diplomatic and Security Strategic Dialogue and the Rule of Law Dialogue; conduct equal dialogues on human rights, democracy and other issues on the basis of mutual respect, enhance mutual understanding, and refrain from "microphone diplomacy"; further strengthen education, people-to-people and sub-national exchanges, and carry out exchanges between more than 100 pairs of friendly provinces and states of the two countries through various means; strengthen cooperation in green development, and deepen exchanges on addressing climate change and green governance.

The two sides also exchanged views on strengthening cooperation in multilateral affairs. Wang Yi said, China and Germany are countries with global influence and important driving forces for China-EU relations. To develop China-Germany relations, we should not only consider bilateral cooperation, but also focus on promoting China-EU cooperation and regional and global development. Baerbock said, in the face of various global challenges, Germany-China cooperation is of great significance. Germany attaches great importance to China's important role in the international arena, and stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China to jointly address climate change and fight the pandemic.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue, among others.