Li will be in Germany on his first trip abroad until Wednesday.
(Photo: IMAGO/Xinhua)
Berlin China’s Prime Minister Li Qiang has called on the federal government to look for common ground between the People’s Republic and Germany, despite differences. “Today’s world is in a period of chaos and change,” said a written speech distributed by the Chinese embassy. Germany and China should uphold “the tradition of friendship” and intensify contacts, he explained. The speech is available in the Handelsblatt. Li arrived in Berlin with some ministers on Sunday, and a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz is planned for Monday.
Li pointed out that China has been Germany’s largest trading partner for the seventh year in a row, and that Germany has been China’s largest trading partner in Europe for 46 years. He did not respond to the diversification attempted by the federal government and other Western countries. The aim is to reduce dependence on China in sensitive economic areas. Reuters reported at the weekend that the federal government has not yet capped export credit guarantees for China.
Li will be in Germany on his first trip abroad until Wednesday. The occasion is the German-Chinese government consultations on Tuesday. In addition to Scholz, Li is also scheduled to meet with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and leading representatives of German and Chinese companies this Monday. Critical issues such as the human rights situation in China, the tensions surrounding Taiwan and complaints from German companies about disadvantages in the Chinese market should also play a role.
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