Ling Ji, China's vice minister of commerce and deputy international trade representative, met in Berlin with Thomas Steffen, state secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and Levin Holle, Economic Financial Policy Adviser to German Chancellor, respectively. The two sides exchanged views on China-Germany and China-EU economic and trade relations, according to official website of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

Ling said the meeting between the two heads of state in February this year charted the course for the development of bilateral relations. He said China's Ministry of Commerce stands ready to work with the German side to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, make full use of mechanisms such as the China-Germany joint committee on economic cooperation and trade, promote the sound development of bilateral economic and trade ties, strengthen practical cooperation in areas including innovation, green development, and industrial and supply chains, and foster a partnership based on mutual trust, equality and mutual benefit.

Ling emphasized that under the current circumstances, it is important for China-EU economic and trade relations to remain broadly stable, noting that there are no winners in a trade war and that China consistently advocates resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, while expressing hope that the China-EU trade and investment consultation mechanism will yield practical results; he also urged the German government to play a constructive role within the EU, encourage the European side to move toward China, and further enhance the stability and predictability of China-EU economic and trade relations.

The German side noted that it opposes trade wars and supports dialogue and consultations between China and the EU to properly address each other's concerns and prevent the escalation of economic and trade frictions, according to the MOFCOM.

Since the beginning of this year, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche have successively led large business delegations to China, fully demonstrating the strong willingness and firm confidence of the German government and business community to deepen cooperation with China, said the German side.

The German side said it will take a balanced approach to market openness and economic security, and is willing to strengthen communication with China on economic and trade policies, build a long-term, stable and sustainable Germany-China economic and trade relationship, and continue to provide a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises investing in Germany.