Wang Yi Meets with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock

On July 8, 2022 local time, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the Bali Island.

Wang Yi said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany. Over the past 50 years, China-Germany relations have grown from a small seedling to a giant tree, and the all-round strategic partnership between the two countries has produced fruitful results. Confucius said, "At fifty, one knows where his goal of life is headed." The China-Germany relationship has come to a mature stage of knowing what it is and learning why it is. China is willing to sum up the experience with Germany, and plan for cooperation in the next 50 years, so as to inject new momentum into the development of bilateral relations.

Baerbock said that Germany attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to taking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to deepen all-round cooperation between the two countries. Germany hopes to work with China to prepare for a new round of consultation mechanism meetings between the two governments, carry out dialogues on rule of law, democracy and human rights, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation on climate change, green development and emission reduction. Germany believes that the international community should stick to principles and maintain international order on issues related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and hopes that China will give play to its influence and play an important role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Wang Yi said that China and Germany are different in social systems, development stages and histories and cultures, so it is natural that the two sides have different views on human rights issues. The fact that the Communist Party of China has united and led 1.4 billion Chinese people to be out of poverty and made great strides toward a new journey of common prosperity is a great contribution to human civilization. When it comes to human rights, there is always room for improvement; China will unremittingly promote the development of human rights. China is willing to continue friendly exchanges with other countries in this regard on the basis of mutual respect.

Wang Yi said that although all parties have different views on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, today's G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting called for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities to achieve peace. China is not a party to the conflict, and we have always adhered to promoting peace talks, and encouraged all parties to find a solution through negotiations. China will continue to play a constructive role to this end.