Xi calls for closer ties between China and Germany

Scholz says Germany against 'decoupling', willing to deepen economic cooperation

- Danson Cheong

BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for closer cooperation between China and Germany at a time when the global environment is "changing", following a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing.

"As influential powers, China and Germany should all the more so work together in times of change and chaos to make more contributions to world peace and development," said Mr Xi, during the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital on Friday.

He added that both countries should jointly reject bloc confrontation and ideological interference, according to a read-out of the meeting released by state news agency Xinhua.

Mr Scholz, who is on a one-day visit to China, had told the Chinese leader that Germany was against "decoupling", and was willing to continue to deepen economic and trade cooperation with China, said the Xinhua statement.

In a separate meeting with Premier Li Keqiang, the German leader had also pressed the Chinese for "equal market access" between the two countries.