Berlin, October 12th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today with Martin Schulz, President of the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation (FES), former President of the European Parliament, and former head of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Liu said, since China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, the two sides have continuously increased exchanges and constantly elevated pragmatic cooperation to new levels. We have worked together in the spirit of mutual respect, mutual benefits and win-win results, injecting impetus into the development of our respective countries as well as making contributions to global peace and development. The Chinese side appreciates the FES for building a bridge of dialogue, communication, friendship and mutual trust between China and Germany, and hopes that it will continue to play a proactive role in promoting exchanges in such areas as political party, government, people-to-people and cultural engagement, and think tank of the two countries under new circumstances.

The Chinese side also appreciated President Schulz for his significant contributions to enhancing China-European Union (EU) relations during his tenure as the President of the European Parliament. The development of China brings opportunities, not risks, to Europe. China is and will be a reliable friend and partner for Europe at present and in the future. It is hoped that the two sides will enhance communication and dialogue and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with each other, so as to cope with the uncertainties in the international landscape with the stable China-EU relations.

Schulz said, cooperation and dialogues serve the common interests of China and Germany. As an institution influenced by the SPD, the FES actively supports communication and dialogues as well as frequent exchanges and visits between the SPD and the CPC. Despite different political systems of China and Germany, pragmatic cooperation will continue to empower the bilateral relations. The FES advocates the principle of mutual respect and seeking common grounds while reserving differences. We also respect China's choice of a development path that suits its own national conditions, and is willing to engage in equal-footed dialogues and properly address differences with the Chinese side. We put emphasis on working together with the Chinese side to jointly tackle challenges such as climate change, food security, crises and conflicts. The FES hopes to, through the IDCPC, reinforce its connection with the CPC, so as to contribute to Germany-China and EU-China friendly cooperation.

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