On March 21, 2016, President Xi Jinping held talks with President Joachim Gauck of Germany at the Great Hall of the People. The two heads of state agreed that the two countries should continue to consolidate and strengthen the China-Germany all-round strategic partnership and cooperate more closely in meeting global challenges.
Xi Jinping welcomed Joachim Gauck for his first state visit to China. He said that the current China-Germany exchanges and cooperation are closer than any time in history. With the joint efforts of both sides, the China-Germany relations are moving towards a higher level, with the political mutual trust continuously enhanced, practical cooperation continuously deepened, people-to-people and cultural exchanges more widened, and the communication and coordination on international and regional issues more frequently conducted.
Xi Jinping stressed that the most important thing to consolidate and strengthen the China-Germany all-round strategic partnership is to set out from a strategic viewpoint and a long-term perspective, and to grasp tightly the general direction of the development of the bilateral relations. Both sides should insist on mutual respect and equal treatment, take care of and respect each other's core interests and major concerns, expand common ground and narrow differences, and deepen political mutual trust. Both sides should have close high-level exchanges and make good use of the current consultation dialogue mechanisms. China appreciates Germany's long-term adherence to the "One China" policy, hoping Germany will continuously keep the positive stance. The two sides are accelerating the implementation of the cooperation consensus and initiatives in the Program of Action for China-Germany Cooperation. With the tripartite cooperation as a starting point, the two sides can jointly support and participate in the Belt and Road initiative and connectivity construction of Asia and Europe in the next step, so as to develop the international market. The two countries should actively strengthen cooperation on international affairs such as climate change and security, and strengthen coordination and cooperation within the UN and other multilateral frameworks. China and Germany will host the G20 summits in the next two years respectively, and China is ready to maintain close communication with Germany on important agendas of the G20. Both sides should set up more bridges for exchanges in broad areas such as culture, education, media, youth, and sports, and successfully run the activities of the Year of China-Germany Youth Exchange.
Xi Jinping pointed out that China has always firmly supported the process of European integration. China is willing to, together with the EU, actively promote the docking between the Belt and Road initiative and the European development strategy, between China's cooperation in international production capacity and the Investment Plan for Europe, as well as between China's cooperation with the Central and Eastern European countries and China-Europe all-round cooperation, so as to build the four major partnerships of peace, growth, reform and civilization. We hope that Germany will actively participate in the docking of Chinese and European development strategies and play a more significant role in the development of the China-Europe relations. The construction of the Belt and Road initiative will connect the Asia-Pacific and European economic circles, and is conducive to tapping the huge potential of the Eurasian market. China and Germany can deepen practical cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative.
Xi Jinping introduced to Joachim Gauck about China's development plan, the political system that China insists on, and the development path that the Chinese people choose.
Joachim Gauck said that Germany and China are important countries in Europe and Asia respectively and the two peoples cherish peace and development. Although Germany and China have different social systems, the two countries can promote bilateral relations toward the continuous development on the basis of mutual respect and trust. Currently the two countries communicate closely and achieve fruitful cooperation results in the fields such as economy and trade, science and technology, environment protection, education, and culture. The two countries share similar positions on major international and regional issues. Germany appreciates China's constructive role in international affairs and the openness and the positive role of the Belt and Road initiative proposed by China. Germany is willing to continue partnership cooperation with China. His visit aims at speeding up the implementation of the Program of Action for China-Germany Cooperation, and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with China. Germany is willing to further promote the development of Europe-China cooperation.
After the meeting, the two heads of state jointly attended the opening ceremony of the Year of China-Germany Youth Exchange.
Prior to the meeting, Xi Jinping held a welcoming ceremony for Joachim Gauck at the square outside the East Gate of the Great Hall of the People.
Vice Premier Liu Yandong, Vice Chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Shen Yueyue, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and Vice Chairwoman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Lin Wenyi attended the above activities respectively.