German Leader Scholz On China Visit

President Xi Jinping said the German chancellor's visit to Beijing will "deepen practical cooperation" between the two countries as he met Olaf Scholz in Beijing on Friday.

Xi said he believed the visit would "enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, and create sound plans for the development of China-Germany relations in the next stage", according to CCTV.

“As long as the principles of mutual respect, seeking common ground while reserving differences, exchanges and mutual learning, and win-win cooperation are upheld, the general direction of bilateral relations will not be deviated, and the pace of progress will be stable," Xi was quoted as saying.

"At present, the international situation is complex and changeable. As influential powers, China and Germany should work together in times of change and chaos to make more contributions to world peace and development."

The German leader said he was seeking to further develop economic cooperation while acknowledging different viewpoints on some areas.

"It is good that we are able to have an exchange here about all questions, including those questions where we have different perspectives – that's what an exchange is for," Scholz said, according to a German government source.

"We also want to talk about how we can further develop our economic cooperation on other topics: climate change, food security, indebted countries."

In a statement at the start of talks with Premier Li Keqiang, Scholz said he sought a deeper economic relationship with Beijing but expected equal treatment.

"What is clear for us is that we do not believe in ideas of decoupling (with China) but it is also clear that that has something to do with economic ties as equals, with reciprocity, with the issue that access to investment must be provided equally," the German chancellor said.

Scholz and a delegation of business leaders arrived in Beijing earlier on Friday for a one-day visit.

He's the first G7 leader to visit China since the start of the pandemic. (Agencies)

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