German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier held separate meetings with Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, during his visit to China, 人民网 reported on Friday. The talks covered economic cooperation, market access and exchanges between the two countries' legislatures. The meetings came as President Xi Jinping was also scheduled to hold talks with Steinmeier, according to the same outlet.
Why it matters
The visit gives Beijing and Berlin a chance to steady a relationship that both sides describe as strategically important at a moment of friction over trade and industrial policy. According to 人民网, Li told Steinmeier that unilateralism and protectionism are gaining ground and that the two countries should take on more responsibility in defending free trade and open cooperation. That framing places the meetings within China's broader effort to keep European partners engaged as commercial tensions persist.
For German business, the visit is a signal of continued high-level access. For Beijing, it is an opportunity to press for a predictable operating environment for Chinese firms investing in Germany — a point Li raised directly, the outlet reported.
Li points to past cooperation as a guide
Li described the history of China-Germany ties as proof that mutual respect, acceptance of differences and a focus on shared interests can deliver results, according to 人民网. He said both economies have benefited from working together and expressed confidence that the partnership will continue to develop.
On the economic side, Li said China is willing to use existing dialogue mechanisms, including intergovernmental consultations, to expand cooperation in automobiles, chemicals, artificial intelligence, digital technology and green industries. He said China would import more high-quality German goods and welcomed German companies to expand in the Chinese market, while asking Berlin to give Chinese investors fair, stable and predictable treatment.
Li also called for more two-way travel and deeper exchanges in culture, education, youth affairs, sports and contacts between local governments, describing these as the foundation of public support for the relationship. He noted Germany's weight within the European Union and said Berlin could play a constructive role in China-EU relations.
Steinmeier, for his part, praised the pace of China's economic and social development and its technological advances, 人民网 reported. He said Germany and China have maintained a strong partnership over many years and that their commercial ties have been successful and mutually beneficial. Cooperation between German and Chinese companies, he added, matters not only to the two countries but to the wider world.
The German president said Berlin is committed to deepening cooperation with China in a spirit of respect, trust and mutual benefit, and supports companies from both sides learning from each other. He also said differences should be handled properly through dialogue.
Zhao stresses parliamentary channel
Zhao told Steinmeier that China-Germany relations have proven mature and resilient, built on mutual respect, trust and pragmatic cooperation, according to 人民网. He said China is ready to work with Germany to implement the understandings reached between the two heads of state and to broaden the content of the bilateral strategic partnership.
Zhao said the National People's Congress is willing to strengthen exchanges with the German parliament and to provide a legal foundation for practical cooperation. He invited German and European lawmakers to visit China more often, saying such trips would give them a first-hand view of the country's development.
Coverage of the visit also included Steinmeier's engagement with students: 中国日报网 reported that the German president played table tennis with the president of Peking University and that his speech there drew discussion among German students in China. A separate 新浪网 piece examined Volkswagen's more than four decades of operations in China as an example of long-running industrial ties.
The meetings were reported alongside Xi's scheduled talks with Steinmeier, which 人民网 said would set out the next stage of the relationship's development. Li framed the premier's own discussions as part of that broader effort, saying China wants stronger strategic communication with Germany, deeper political trust and more effective cooperation that benefits people in both countries and adds stability internationally.
What to watch: whether the visit produces concrete commitments on market access or a date for the next round of intergovernmental consultations, and how Berlin balances its commercial interests in China against EU-level trade policy.
