Li Qiang attended a symposium of the China-Germany Economic Advisory Council.

On the afternoon of February 25, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council attended the China-Germany Economic Advisory Committee meeting with German Chancellor Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Jingwen

BEIJING, February 25 (Xinhua) (Reporter Feng Xinran) On the afternoon of February 25, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council attended the China-Germany Economic Advisory Committee meeting with German Chancellor Scholz at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. More than 60 representatives from Chinese and German enterprises attended.

Li Qiang stated that in recent times, the instability and uncertainty of the world economy have generally been on the rise. As two major world economies, China and Germany, through continuous close cooperation, have not only expanded space for their own development but also injected momentum into the world economy. Currently, the world economy still faces significant challenges, with unilateralism and protectionism rising or even prevailing in some countries and regions, severely disrupting the international economic and trade order. The more severe the situation, the more China and Germany should strengthen cooperation. Only cooperation is the optimal solution for us to deal with risks; only development is the necessary option for us to ensure security.

Li Qiang pointed out that currently, both the Chinese and German economies are showing a trend of recovery and improvement. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries will embrace even broader space. The basic pattern of complementary advantages in the economy and industry between China and Germany has not changed, and the scope of cooperation far exceeds that of competition. It is entirely possible to shape a positive competitive-cooperative relationship to better develop together. Both sides can focus on three key areas to achieve higher levels of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. First, strengthen the foundation of traditional cooperation. Enterprises from both countries can continue to deepen cooperation in fields such as machinery, equipment, and chemicals, accelerate business localization, and continuously enhance resilience and efficiency. Second, seize new opportunities for future development. Support enterprises and research institutions from both countries to promote the two-way flow of innovation resources, conduct in-depth joint research on technology, co-build platforms, and share results, and also jointly explore third-party markets. Third, create a favorable environment for investment and business. China will unswervingly expand high-level opening-up and actively address the reasonable demands of German and other foreign enterprises. It is hoped that the German government will provide an open, fair, and non-discriminatory business environment, allowing enterprises from both countries to cooperate and compete following market principles. It is hoped that Chinese and German entrepreneurs will play an important role not only in promoting economic and trade cooperation between the two countries but also in enhancing mutual communication and understanding and promoting stable bilateral relations.

Scholz stated that Germany and China are important economic and trade partners for each other, and the bilateral economic and trade relationship is vibrant, maintaining high-level development for many years, which has strongly promoted the economic growth of both countries. Germany is committed to mutual learning and mutual reference with China, strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in fields such as automobiles, chemicals, machinery and equipment, renewable energy, and the digital economy, promoting common prosperity, and assisting in the long-term stable development of Germany-China relations. Germany supports German enterprises in investing and deeply cultivating the Chinese market, is willing to continuously improve the business environment, welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest and do business in Germany, create jobs, and strengthen connectivity.

Wu Zhenglong participated in the event.