Li Keqiang Holds Talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Emphasizing Deepening China-Germany Cooperation in the Process of Opening-up to Better Expand Mutual Benefit and Win-Win Results
Premier Li Keqiang and Chancellor Olaf Scholz Jointly Meet the Press

On the afternoon of November 4, 2022, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council held talks  with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who was paying an official visit to China.

Li Keqiang expressed welcome to Scholz for visiting China. He said, both China and Germany are the world's major economies. Exchanges between the two sides are  increasing and practical cooperation has been steadily going to new highs. The Chinese side attaches great importance to China-Germany relations, and President Xi Jinping had an in-depth discussion with you. The world today is facing many difficulties and challenges and the global economy is challenged with risks of recession. Against such a backdrop, confidence and prospect are more precious. We are ready to work with the German side, on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, to continuously advance sound and steady development of China-Germany relations, to inject more stability into international relations, add more development momentum to the world economy, to better safeguard peace and stability in the region and the world.

Li Keqiang noted that two-way opening-up and mutual benefit are prominent features of China-Germany practical cooperation, and cooperation in economy and trade is a ballast of the development of bilateral relations. The Chinese side stands ready to strengthen cooperation with the German side in trade and investment, manufacturing, pandemic response, and other fields, promote to set up a cooperation mechanism for climate change, and increase direct flights between the two countries in an orderly manner to better facilitate personnel exchanges between the two  sides. China firmly follows a path of peaceful development, upholds the fundamental national policy of reform and opening-up, and pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. China's door will open still wider.

Scholz said that over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and China, cooperation between the two countries in politics, economy and trade, and other fields has yielded fruitful outcomes. Germany does not support "decoupling", and hopes to ensure world peace and development, uphold global economic growth, and realize market access on an equal footing. The German side stands ready to work with the Chinese side to overcome the impact of the pandemic, deepen cooperation in economy and trade, pandemic response, climate response, and other fields on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and promote personnel exchanges, so as to promote further development of Germany-China relations.

Both sides also had an exchange of views on the Ukraine crisis and other international and regional issues of common interest and concern. They expressed the commitment to safeguarding world peace and regional stability.

Before the talks, Li Keqiang held a welcoming ceremony for Olaf Scholz in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People.

On the afternoon of the day, Premier Li Keqiang and Chancellor Olaf Scholz jointly met the press after the talks.

Li Keqiang said that he had candid, open, and practical talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Under the current circumstances, China and Germany, as two major economies in Asia and Europe, should enhance strategic mutual trust, adhere to two-way opening-up, deepen mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, promote the development of bilateral relations in greater depth, and send to the world a positive message of adhering to multilateralism, supporting a multi-polar world, and jointly safeguarding free and fair trade. The two sides should make use of the stability of China-Germany relations to promote the stability of international relations and the world economy, and create favorable conditions for all parties to jointly respond to global challenges.

Li Keqiang pointed out that China and Germany are different in history, culture, tradition, and social system. It is natural that the two countries have different views on some issues. The common interests between China and Germany far outweigh the differences, and the two sides should adhere to mutual respect and treat each other as equals, strengthen communication through candid exchanges, seek common ground while shelving differences, and properly handle differences. We both agree to increase contact and exchanges between China and Germany in various fields, and advance cooperation on key projects. China will go on to foster a market-oriented, world-class business environment governed by a sound legal framework, to make China a highland for opening-up and a promising land for foreign investment. German enterprises and enterprises from all other countries are welcome to invest and operate in China.

Li Keqiang stressed that China and Germany, as countries of global influence, should shoulder responsibilities as major countries in the world to safeguard the stability of global food and energy markets, jointly respond to climate change and other global challenges, uphold stable and smooth global industrial and supply chains, and promote world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Scholz said that Germany and China have had increasingly close exchanges in economy and trade and bilateral relations. The German side is ready to have candid dialogues with the Chinese side to enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation in key areas, promote the establishment of a cooperation mechanism for climate change, and work together to respond to challenges in food and energy security, the ecological environment, and other aspects, and make positive efforts to safeguard world peace and stability.

Wang Yi and He Lifeng, among others, were present at the events.