Wang Yi Holds Virtual Meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock

On May 24, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a virtual meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the latter's request.

Wang Yi said, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Germany, which is of great significance for inheriting the past and ushering in the future. We have gone through an extraordinary journey over the past 50 years. By upholding the philosophy of seeking common ground while shelving differences, as well as seeking mutual benefit and win-win results, the two countries have deepened cooperation in various fields and established an all-round strategic partnership, becoming an important stabilizing factor in today's world. The sound and stable development of China-Germany relations serves the interests of both sides, and is also conducive to the two countries playing an active role in safeguarding world peace, stability and development.

Wang Yi said, the two sides should make good use of inter-governmental consultation mechanisms, constantly inject new fuel into this "super engine" and add new momentum to bilateral relations. The two sides need to make well preparations for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, advance high-level dialogues on strategy, security, finance and people-to-people and cultural affairs, and strengthen friendly non-governmental, sub-national, youth, educational and cultural exchanges, so as to cement the social foundation and public support for bilateral relations.

Wang Yi said, over the past 50 years, China and Germany have deeply engaged in and benefited from each other's development, with pragmatic cooperation always being the defining feature of China-Germany relations. China has been Germany's largest trading partner for six consecutive years, and Germany is China's largest trading partner in Europe. China is ready to deepen cooperation with Germany in traditional fields and, at the same time, expand cooperation in emerging fields such as intelligent manufacturing, information and communication, trade in service and new energy vehicles, so as to foster new growth drivers for the economic development of the two countries.

Noting that China is an important partner of Germany, Baerbock said that Germany is formulating a new China strategy and looks forward to taking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to further promote the development of bilateral relations. Germany stands ready to make well preparations for the next round of inter-governmental consultations between the two sides, and work with China to maintain the exchange of visits at all levels, strengthen cooperation in environmental governance, climate change, pandemic response and other fields, and facilitate personnel exchanges. At the same time, both sides should also properly handle the competitive relationship.

Wang Yi stressed, China and Germany are in different stages of development with highly complementary economies. Cooperation has always been the keynote of bilateral exchanges, and competition should be kept benign and orderly, so as to accelerate respective development. China hopes that Germany's new China strategy will remain positive and pragmatic and bring positive expectations, so as to promote greater development of bilateral relations in the next five decades.

The two sides exchanged views on global issues. Wang Yi said, both China and Germany are beneficiaries and contributors to globalization, and the clamor for economic decoupling and industrial chain breakage is not in the interests of both sides and other countries. The world is currently beset by ongoing geopolitical crises, the unabated COVID-19 pandemic, sluggish world economic recovery, and complex and pressing global challenges. As two major countries, China and Germany should further strengthen strategic communication and form synergy to inject more stability and positive energy into the world. In particular, both sides should unequivocally uphold true multilateralism, promote greater democracy in international relations, and safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations based on international law. Baerbock said, Germany supports multilateralism and is firmly committed to strengthening European strategic autonomy.

The two sides exchanged views on the food problem caused by the spillover effect of the Ukraine crisis. Wang Yi stressed, China feeds one-fifth of the world's population on less than nine percent of the world's land, which is in itself a great contribution to the world. At the same time, China has demonstrated a sense of responsibility as a major country and continuously provided emergency food aid to countries most in need. China will never be absent on major issues of concern to the international community. Under the current circumstances, the international community should push for a ceasefire as soon as possible to provide a "green lane" for Russia's and Ukraine's grain exports. China is ready to maintain communication with all parties.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Afghan issue and other issues.