Wang Yi Meets with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock

On February 17, 2023 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Wang Yi said that the Munich Security Conference is an important international platform, and he expects the conference to speak out for peace, build consensus on cooperation, jointly uphold multilateralism, uphold the UN Charter and safeguard the hard-won post-World War II peaceful situation. Although China and Germany have different social systems and cultural backgrounds, safeguarding world peace and promoting global development serves the common interests of both sides and is also the common responsibility of the two sides. China is ready to enhance communication and increase mutual understanding with Germany, and make efforts to promote the sound and stable development of China-Germany relations and improve global governance.

Baerbock said that Germany attaches importance to its relations with China, adheres to the one-China policy and hopes that Germany and China can resume exchanges and cooperation in various fields as soon as possible and further strengthen economic and trade exchanges. Challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change show that global issues need to be addressed jointly, and international order needs to be maintained through enhanced cooperation. Germany stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China on international affairs.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine issue. Wang Yi said that he understands European countries' concerns over the Ukraine crisis. The longer the crisis drags on, the more damage Europe will suffer, and incidents like the explosions of the Nord Stream pipelines may occur from time to time. On the Ukraine issue, China has always been committed to promoting peace talks, and no matter how complicated the situation is, China will never give up such efforts. China is ready to strengthen communication with Germany and other European countries to ease the situation as soon as possible.