President Xi Jinping meets on Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (left) via video link. LIU BIN/XINHUA

Merkel lauded for boosting countries' partnership, China's relations with EU

The sound development of Sino-German relations over the past years has demonstrated that countries can avert zero-sum games to realize mutual benefits and win-win cooperation, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

Xi made the remark in a video meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This followed a telephone conversation between them on Sept 10, and was considered as a farewell meeting between the two leaders as Merkel intends to soon conclude her 16 years in office as German chancellor.

During the meeting, Xi expressed his appreciation for Merkel's contributions to the development of China-Germany and China-European Union relations, and he expressed his hope that Merkel could continue to support the development of those ties.

He talked about the communications between him and Merkel on bilateral ties, major regional and international issues, and the sharing of governance experience, saying that they have jointly pushed forward China-Germany relations and also boosted the countries' partnership to cope with global challenges.

Both countries have leveraged their own economic strengths to seek mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, which benefited their respective development, Xi said.

Noting that next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Germany, Xi said that it is critically important to steer the right course as to where bilateral ties are heading.

China views its ties with Germany from a strategic and long-term perspective, he said, and it stands ready to maintain high-level exchanges with Germany, continue to bolster mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges, and further tap potential for bilateral pragmatic cooperation in various fields.

Referring to China-EU ties, Xi said that it is their common aspiration to pursue peace and development.

Both China and the EU uphold multilateralism, and support the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, he said, and they both maintain that their common interests outweigh their differences.

Xi noted that the world is at a crucial period in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting economic recovery, and it faces increasing challenges and rising uncertainty and instability. Given this situation, Xi said that China and the EU, as important players in international affairs, need to shoulder their responsibilities to strengthen solidarity and cooperation.

Both sides should treat each other in an overall and objective manner and deal with their differences in a rational and constructive way, he said.

Xi expressed his hope that the EU could adhere to an independent position, truly uphold its interests and the solidarity of the international community, and work along with China and other countries to jointly promote global peace and development.

Merkel－who has visited China 12 times during her tenure as chancellor－talked about memorable interactions with Xi over the past years, saying that she has witnessed the rapid development of China and the huge potential it has for future growth.

She said that the EU should independently develop its relations with China and both sides may strengthen dialogue and exchanges on their differences, adding that she is confident that the EU and China could prevail over the difficulties caused by complicated factors in order to further develop their relations.

Germany appreciates China's efforts in dealing with climate change and protecting biodiversity, and is ready to strengthen bilateral ties and multilateral cooperation with China and jointly cope with global challenges, she said.

Merkel said she will continue to make active efforts to promote understanding and cooperation between Germany and China, as well as between the EU and China.