In recognition of their joint global responsibilities China on
Monday called for advancement of China-German relations
based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual
benefit.
"China regards its ties with Germany as extremely important and
is willing to make concerted efforts with Germany to foster
all-round China-EU partnerships and achieve sustainable peace and
common prosperity in the world," Chinese President Hu Jintao said in his meeting with visiting
German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"China and Germany are both influential nations in the world and
their respective regions," Hu said. The two sides shared same or
similar views on significant international issues such as the
maintenance of the world peace and promotion of common
prosperity.
Hu also spoke highly of the development of bilateral relations
between the two countries. He expressed his appreciation of
Germany's focus on relations with China and the continuity of the
their China policy.
"China and Germany have established frequent high-level
exchanges and witnessed rapid growth of bilateral trade and
investment in recent years", Hu said. He added that Germany is
China's largest trading partner within the EU and the two countries
had held intensive consultations and cooperated on international
issues within the framework of China-EU relations.
"We appreciate the German government's adherence to the
one-China policy and support Germany playing a larger role in
international organizations such as the United Nations", Hu
said.
Echoing Hu's views on bilateral relations, Merkel said Germany
would continue to uphold the one-China policy and the continuity of
the two countries' strategic and cooperative partnership. They
shared many common interests and could establish cooperation in
many fields, Merkel stressed.
She highlighted that China and Germany have signed a series of
agreements in the fields of economics, technology, intellectual
property protection, culture and human rights during her visit.
Merkel expressed the hope that the two nations could cement
cooperation in fields such as energy security and energy
efficiency. She also talked about strengthening communication and
collaboration on various international issues in multilateral
organizations especially the UN.
During talks Hu briefed his guest on China's energy policy and
the two exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue.
(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2006)