BEIJING, China: German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, on Wednesday called for government consultations with Chinese officials to resume, as he visited China for talks with President Xi Jinping, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
“I know that my predecessors visited China on a regular basis,” Merz said during a meeting with Xi.
He wanted to continue this tradition.
“We should also resume the German-Chinese government consultations, which were interrupted by the change of government in Berlin and the pandemic,” he added.
Xi said he noted that Merz attaches great importance to relations with China.
Under Merz’s leadership, the German Government is pursuing a fact-based China policy, Xi added.
Merz also met with Premier Li Qiang in the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday after landing in the Chinese capital in the morning.
The last Chinese-German government consultations took place in Berlin in 2023.
The format has been held since 2011 and is intended to deepen cooperation between the two sides.
At the same meeting, Xinhua reported Xi’s call for China and Germany to uphold the central role of the United Nations, reinvigorate its leading role, and take the lead in being upholders of multilateralism, practitioners of international rule of law, defenders of free trade, and advocates of solidarity and coordination. – BERNAMA-dpa
