On February 17, 2023 local time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi in Munich on the sidelines of the 59th Munich Security Conference.

Wang Yi conveyed cordial greetings from Chinese leaders to Scholz. Wang Yi said that China has successfully overcome the impact of the pandemic and shown a robust economic recovery. China is ready to fully resume exchanges with Germany and Europe in various fields, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and increase mutual understanding. The two sides can actively prepare for a new round of inter-governmental consultations and chart the blueprint for the development of bilateral relations to keep China-Germany cooperation in the forefront of the world. China and Germany should jointly support multilateralism and free trade, reject practices of decoupling and severing industrial and supply chains, and earnestly maintain the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

Scholz said that he was glad to learn that China has successfully overcome the pandemic and shared Wang’s view that the two sides should resume cooperation in various fields as soon as possible and launch the next round of inter-governmental consultations at an early date. He noted that Germany will firmly develop economic and trade relations with China and opposes any form of decoupling, and that strong Germany-China relations and mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation conduce to global stability and prosperity.

Both sides exchanged views on the Ukraine issue. Wang Yi said that China and Germany, both independent major countries, shoulder the shared responsibilities for maintaining world peace and addressing global challenges. China has always stood on the side of peace, committed itself to promoting peace talks, and called for an early ceasefire. Wang Yi expressed the hope that Germany will play a constructive role in de-escalating the situation.

On the same day, Wang Yi also met with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.