Former Foreign Minister of Serbia: Premier Li Qiang's visit to Europe is of great significance in promoting the development of China Europe relations
Author: Ivan Mrkic, former Foreign Minister of Serbia
Compiled by Zhao Peng
At the invitation of German Chancellor Scholz and the French government, Chinese Premier Li Qiang made an official visit to Germany from June 18th to 23rd, holding the seventh round of China Germany government consultations, making an official visit to France, and attending the New Global Financing Compact Summit. Premier Li Qiang's trip to Europe is of great significance for promoting the development of China Europe relations.
We still vividly remember that German Chancellor Scholz led a delegation to visit China in November last year. Schultz was also the first European leader to visit China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In early April this year, French President Macron made a state visit to China, demonstrating his advocacy for strengthening European strategic autonomy.
![Former Foreign Minister of Serbia: Premier Li Qiang's visit to Europe is of great significance in promoting the development of China Europe relations](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/33a0217191d2dcc59f49cdd8881cf1fe.jpg)
On the 18th, on the same day as Premier Li Qiang's trip to Europe, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit to China. I believe that the leaders of Germany and France will also pay attention to this diplomatic trend. In today's complex and interconnected world, deepening understanding through mutual visits and dialogue is the only way to promote world peace. In today's multipolar world, what we need is to deepen cooperation with each other, oppose "decoupling and disconnection", and welcome and look forward to a stronger momentum of achieving win-win through joint cooperation.
Therefore, further enhancing cooperation between Germany and France and China is of great significance. We know that bilateral trade between Germany and China has been showing a sustained growth momentum. According to data from the German Federal Bureau of Statistics, the bilateral trade volume between Germany and China in 2022 was 297.9 billion euros, an increase of 21% compared to 2021. China has become Germany's most important trading partner for the seventh consecutive year. At the same time, trade cooperation between France and China is also constantly deepening. According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the trade volume between China and France reached 131.96 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 2.9%, setting a new historical high for the same period.
Only by establishing closer connections can better cooperation be achieved between the Asian and European continents. In this sense, Premier Li Qiang's trip to Europe is of great significance not only for China, Germany, and France, but also for China Europe relations and even the world as a whole. We look forward to letting unity replace division, cooperation replace confrontation, and the diplomatic methods filled with threats and intimidation become history, never to return.