Berlin and Beijing should stand together to oppose decoupling and camp confrontation: China Daily editorial

Berlin's warm reception of visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as well as the packed schedule of Li, who met with the German president, chancellor, cabinet members and business leaders over the past three days, show the sincerity of the two countries' friendly relations.

It is good to hear that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during his meeting with Li on Tuesday that Germany opposes "decoupling", and that "de-risking" is by no means de-sinicization, noting that China's development and prosperity benefit the world. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's assurance of Germany's opposition to camp confrontation and trustworthiness as a partner during his meeting with Li on Monday is also welcome.

China has always valued Germany's strategic autonomy as a leading player in the European Union and a major country on the world stage. And it has expressed its hopes that Berlin will continue to carry forward the positive momentum of Sino-German relations formed over the past decades.

During that period of time, despite the two countries' different social and political systems, they have worked together to bring tangible benefits to the two peoples through pragmatic collaboration based on the complementarity of their economies. Rather than taking their differences as obstacles to cooperation, they have always sought to bridge them, regarding the process as one of mutual learning that helps foster mutual understanding and respect.

Demonstrating this, when State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang called his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on Monday, urging Berlin to oppose the attempts of some politicians in the country to "decouple" the two economies and break the global industry and supply chains, Baerbock responded that Germany is willing to make joint efforts with China to push for positive outcomes of Premier Li's visit and government consultations.

That interaction between the two sides aimed to counter the possibility of the China hawks in Berlin hijacking Li's visit and ruining its fruit.

Cautioning against equating interdependence with insecurity, Li apparently took his visit as an opportunity to send a message to other European countries. Speaking to his German hosts, Li said that China always supports openness and cooperation, and believes the biggest risk is non-cooperation and the biggest hidden security danger is non-development.

That should be taken as a guarantee from Beijing of China's welcome to foreign companies, investments and talents. As always, China's development will continue to be a positive contribution to the world and an important opportunity for all countries.

As Li said, in a world of turmoil and transformation, it is all the more necessary to think calmly and grasp the certainty amid uncertainties.