In phone talks with Merz, president calls for more bilateral, EU engagement

President Xi Jinping stressed on May 23 the strategic and overall significance of China’s ties with Germany and the European Union in a world of intertwined transformations and turbulence, as he spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in their first phone conversation since Merz took office.

It was the second consecutive day that Xi communicated with a European leader. On May 22, the Chinese president spoke with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron over the phone, calling on the two sides to be reliable forces for maintaining international order.

Xi told Merz that a sound and stable China-Germany relationship serves the interests of both countries, and also meets the expectations of various sectors in China and Europe.

China is ready to work with Germany to open a new chapter in their all-around strategic partnership, lead China-EU relations to achieve new developments, and make new contributions to the stable growth of the global economy, Xi said.

China and Germany together contribute more than one-fifth of the world economy.

With their economies highly complementary, the two countries’ industries are deeply intertwined. In 2024, bilateral trade between China and Germany was $201.88 billion.

Xi said that China and Germany have always developed their relations guided by a spirit of mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and win-win cooperation.

This good tradition needs to be carefully maintained and continued by both sides, he said.

Noting that China is pleased to see its partner Germany’s development and prosperity, Xi said that China is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with Germany, respect each other’s core interests, and strengthen the political foundation of their bilateral relations.

While the two sides should continue to expand cooperation in traditional areas such as the automotive, machinery and chemicals sectors, they also need to promote cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology, Xi said.

He also urged the two countries to bolster exchanges and cooperation in areas such as climate change and green growth, contributing Chinese and German wisdom and solutions to global sustainable development.

Xi said that China is willing to share with Germany the development opportunities brought by its high-level opening-up.

It is hoped that Germany will provide more policy support and facilitation for two-way investment cooperation, as well as a fair and nondiscriminatory business environment for Chinese firms, he said.

The Chinese president stressed that it has been proved that partnership is the correct definition of China-Germany and China-EU relations, and that a stable and predictable policy environment is an important guarantee for bilateral cooperation. He called on the two major countries to shoulder their shared responsibilities.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the EU.

Xi said that China and the EU should summarize the good practices of developing China-EU relations and send a positive signal of upholding multilateralism and free trade, and deepening open and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Merz said that the relationship between Germany and China, one of the world’s most important countries, is developing with good momentum, featuring in-depth cooperation and fruitful outcomes.

He stressed the importance of cooperation between the two major economies amid the current international situation, saying that Germany looks to closely engaging with China in exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Germany will work with China to adhere to the principle of openness and mutual benefits, promote fair trade, safeguard world peace and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, Merz said.

The two leaders also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis.

Contact the writer at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn