2015年CRI China and Germany Call for Strengthening Bilateral Ties

During her last day of stay her in China, the German Chancellor 1, accompanied by Chinese Premier 2 Li Keqiang, has visited the central Chinese province of Anhui.

The two leaders attended a seminar with business leaders from both countries.

Premier Li assured participants that China still has huge market potential for investment.

"Despite the slowdown of China's economic growth, the country still boasts great potential in domestic demand, especially in central and western regions. The visit of the China-Germany economic advisory 3 committee to central China's Anhui province has a special meaning. We welcome major enterprises like Siemens and Volkswagen from Germany to invest here."

The German Chancellor also stressed her country want to maintain a strong partner with China in the field of economy and trade.

"We want to participate into the readjustment of China's economic structure and we want to be a good investment partner for China. We welcome companies from China to invest in Germany. And we will also make a contribution to the process. We will support China by our experience in the economic structural 4 readjustment, especially in the areas of the development of western regions and technical expertise 5."

The two leaders have already witnessed the signing of 13 deals in Beijing.

One of them will see China buying 130 jets from Airbus Group SE.

China and Germany also pledged to set up a Sino-European stock exchange joint 6 venture to promote the internationalization of the Renminbi.

Apart from trade and investment, the two leaders also called for more exchanges in education.

They made the pledge while attending a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of Hefei University, which was jointly 7 built by China and Germany.

Premier Li Keqiang said there is a great potential for the two countries to cooperate in vocational education.

"The chancellor and I choose to come here, and we hope the cooperation between the two countries in the next thirty years would be more successful. Chinese government will set up a Sino-German education cooperation demonstration 8 base and a fund as well at Hefei University."

Chancellor Merkel said the German government would encourage more local educational departments build collaborations here in China.

She said she also expected there would be more student exchanges in the future.

"When I see so many motivated young people here, the ones we can see inside here, who are experiencing learning, and the ones who were standing 9 outside and greeting us, then Mr Premier I have no concerns as to whether it was a good idea to promote the Germany-China youth exchange, student exchange."

Chancellor Merkel left Hefei on Friday night, concluding her two-day official visit.

For CRI, I'm Guo Yan.