Chinese premier's German tour promotes strategic partnership, cooperation

BERLIN, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's first official visit to Germany, which was wrapped up Monday, will consolidate bilateral strategic partnership and boost the cooperation between China and Europe at large.

During the tight schedule of the 3-day visit, the premier made extensive contacts with German political and business leaders, launched "the Year of Languages" program with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and signed a series of documents regarding cooperation in the manufacturing sector, investment, urbanization and finance.

Analysts said China-Germany relations, which are at the forefront of China's relations with Western powers and play a leading role in China-EU ties, have been further cemented during Li's trip.

TO STRENGTHEN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION

During the trip, the premier said China is ready to boost dialogue and exchanges with Germany on the basis of mutual respect and equality, promote mutual understanding and trust, and cope with challenges hand in hand.

According to a joint statement issued Sunday, China and Germany agreed to keep broadening their various cooperative mechanisms, and a new round of intergovernmental consultations will be held in Germany in 2014.

Li said the two countries should strengthen strategic communication by keeping up the current mechanisms of annual leaders' meetings and intergovernmental consultations, and enhance communication and coordination on regional and international affairs.

Merkel said Germany is ready to deepen its cooperation and strengthen exchanges and mutual-learning with China to jointly push forward the development of their strategic partnership.

Gu Xuewu, director of the International Relations Center for Global Studies at Bonn University, said the two countries have fostered a high level of mutual trust that is rarely seen between big powers, and the China-Germany intergovernmental consultation mechanism is a natural result of their mutual political trust.

High-level contacts and consultations help lift political ties and lower the risk of tense disputes, said Cora Jungbluth, a project manager at Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation, noting that there are no such high-level consultation mechanisms between China and other Western countries.

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