Premier Wen Jiabao and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed on Thursday to further promote cooperation between China and Germany.

 

The agreement was reached during Wen's talks with Merkel after he arrived in Berlin on Thursday morning.

 

Trade is a key issue which Wen and Merkel touched on in their talks. China is satisfied with the "strong growth momentum" in trade, Wen said.

 

Germany has remained the largest European trade partner of China for more than three decades and it is also one of the largest foreign investors in China and one of Europe's key technology transferrers to China.

 

The development of the Sino-German partnership with global responsibility is in the interest of the two countries and conducive to world peace, stability and development, Wen said.

 

To further Sino-German cooperation, Wen proposed to improve meeting mechanism between the two governments and parliaments and well run the first round of strategic dialogue, which was agreed upon during Merkel's May visit to China.

 

Wen also suggested the two countries deepen economic and trade cooperation and provide support and facilitation for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

 

Merkel said the Germany-China ties are important and the German side is satisfied with the fruitful cooperation.

 

Wen also briefed Merkel on China's policy on intellectual property rights protection, high-tech development and innovation by enterprises.

 

On China-EU ties, Wen said he hopes Germany, the rotating presidency of European Union and Group 8, will make contribution to the growth of Sino-Europe relations and endeavor to resolve global and regional issues.

 

Wen and Merkel also exchanged views on international issues.

 

Merkel expressed appreciation of China's decision to send more personnel to join UN peacekeeping forces to Lebanon.

 

They agreed that the international community should jointly safeguard international non-proliferation regime and addressed the Iranian nuclear issue with flexible methods.

 

Germany is the third-leg of Wen's four-nation tour.

 

Wen was scheduled to visit Tajikistan and attend the fifth Prime Ministers' Meeting of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, due to be held in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe.

 

Wen toured Germany after concluding his visit to Finland and Britain.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2006)