China-Europe cooperation enhances world multipolarization, global solutions, say celebrities

Chinese Premier Li Qiang pays a visit to the innovation hub of Schneider Electric in Paris, France, June 21, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

Leading experts and entrepreneurs from Europe have said that deepening mutual trust and cooperation between China and Europe helps to enhance world multipolarization and global solutions to pressing challenges and crises.

BERLIN, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Leading experts and entrepreneurs from Europe have said that deepening mutual trust and cooperation between China and Europe helps to enhance world multipolarization and global solutions to pressing challenges and crises.

They agreed that such cooperation at multiple levels in jointly tackling global issues among China and European Union (EU) countries promotes the building of a multipolar world.

As Chinese Premier Li Qiang last week wrapped up his first trip abroad since taking office, his visits to Germany and France have received a wide range of positive responses from industries, institutes and political groups.

With Li's visit, direct governmental consultation between Germany and China is taking place again, said Sevim Dagdelen, chairperson of the Die Linke (Left Party) parliamentary group of the German Bundestag's Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz co-chair the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation in Berlin, Germany, June 20, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Li co-chaired with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz the seventh China-Germany inter-governmental consultation during his visit, calling the consultation efficient, pragmatic and fruitful.

Describing the Chinese premier's visit as "a sign of hope," Dagdelen underscored that there is a need for more political and economic cooperation between Germany and China, as well as deeper cooperation in the fields of science and culture. She added that the cooperation implies hundreds of thousands of job opportunities in Germany.

CEO of BMW AG Oliver Zipse said the BMW Group has deep and long-standing ties with its Chinese partners. Noting their common pursuits for electric mobility, reusable batteries and smart vehicles, the CEO said the strong partnership will enable the companies to hold on to a win-win situation as the automotive industry is undergoing a massive transformation.

Li's visits to enterprises in Germany highlighted the "enormous potential" for cooperation between the two countries, especially when Germany is being affected by deindustrialization, said Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and chairperson of the German think tank Schiller Institute.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang visits the headquarters of Siemens in Bavaria state, Germany. Li visited Bavaria state from June 20 to June 21 during his official visit to Germany. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

"Accounting for half of the global chemical market, China is a strategic market and growth engine for BASF," said Jeffrey Lou, Greater China president and chairman of BASF, a German multinational chemical company. He also expressed BASF's willingness to work on the chemical industry transformation and sustainable development in China, in areas such as battery materials, automotive, renewable energy and agriculture.

Ludovic Weber, the Asia-Pacific CEO of French multinational corporation Saint-Gobain, told Xinhua that the Chinese market is growing very fast and there are many ongoing investments, especially in the EV industry.

Noting that the transition now in China actually benefits Saint-Gobain and other foreign companies, Weber said it is in nobody's interest to see rising tensions. "The decoupling is kind of impossible," he said, expressing expectations of strengthening the link between countries through infrastructure, businesses and mutual investments.

China and France have a tradition of diplomacy based on dialogue and resolving conflicts through political solutions, said Lyazid Benhami, vice president of the Paris Association of French-Chinese Friendship.

Future problems facing humanity will be global and diverse, he said, adding that France and China should further collaborate to address challenges such as climate change and support the economic development of Africa and emerging markets.