Li's German tour promotes strategic partnership, co-op(2)

　　TO PROMOTE PRAGMATIC COOPERATION

During Li's talks with Merkel, he said China is ready to work with Germany to further promote their multi-layered and wide-ranging cooperation.

According to the joint statement, the two sides believe that the synchronous and coordinated development of industrialization, informatization and urbanization in China will provide new opportunities for development of China-Germany and China-EU ties and inject fresh impetus into the world economy.

They decided to implement their urbanization partnership, further enhance the bilateral cooperation in such areas as agriculture, forestry, grain, consumer protection, food safety, eco-labelling and electric cars.

To promote cooperation in investment, China announced the launch of a Chinese chamber of commerce in Germany, while Germany welcomed Chinese enterprises to invest and create jobs in Germany in the spirit of mutual benefits.

China and Germany pledged to strengthen extensive economic cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and each side would provide national treatment for the other's companies based on its soil.

For years, China's trade with Germany has constituted nearly one third of its total trade with the EU as a whole. Bilateral trade reached 161 billion U.S. dollars in 2012, which is 580 times of the figure in 1972, said Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde.

Strong investment and trade ties with China have created and retained jobs in Germany and bolstered Germany's status as EU's leading economy, said Benno Bunse, CEO of Germany Trade and Invest.

"I believe the smooth and fruitful Germany-China cooperation would inspire other EU countries in their relations with China," he said.