Xi congratulates Merz on election as German chancellor

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent a congratulatory message to Friedrich Merz on his election as chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Noting that China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, Xi said since establishing diplomatic relations 53 years ago, the two countries have treated each other with mutual respect, trust and equality.

The two countries have consistently followed a path of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, growing into good partners that advance together and help each other succeed, and promoting the steady and sound development of bilateral relations through high-level cooperation, said Xi.

Today's world is marked by intertwined transformation and upheaval, with surging headwinds of unilateralism and protectionism, Xi noted.

Yet peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes remain the right way forward for humanity and an unstoppable trend of the times, Xi said.

As the world's second- and third-largest economies and two major countries with global influence, China and Germany should follow the trend of history, uphold fairness and justice, deepen exchanges and mutual learning, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, work together to weather storms and tempests, enhance the well-being of their peoples, and jointly promote an equitable and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization, said Xi.

Xi said he highly regards the development of China-Germany relations, and is ready to work with the chancellor to stick to the original aspiration in establishing diplomatic relations, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen exchanges and cooperation, and open a new chapter in the all-round strategic partnership between China and Germany, so as to guide China-EU cooperation in the right direction, and jointly promote world peace, stability, and prosperity.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Qiang sent a congratulatory message to Merz on his election as German chancellor.

Noting that China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, Li said the practical cooperation between the two sides in various fields has yielded remarkable results and has broad prospects.

Equality, mutual benefit, cooperation, and win-win outcomes are the historical choices made by both countries and the most distinctive features of China-Germany relations, which should be carefully nurtured, inherited and promoted by both sides, Li said.

The Chinese premier said he looks forward to establishing and maintaining a sound working relationship with Merz, deepening exchanges and jointly promoting development, enhancing understanding and building consensus, continuously enriching the connotation of the China-Germany all-round strategic partnership, and guiding China-Germany and China-EU cooperation in the right direction.