More than 40 Chinese and German representatives from political, economic and social circles gathered at the fourth meeting of the China-Germany Dialogue Forum on Monday to discuss key issues promoting bilateral relations and future cooperation.
"Holding such a dialogue forum at this crucial moment for China-Germany relations is in-time and conducive to both countries," Xu Kuangdi, forum chairman of the Chinese side, said at the opening ceremony.
Xu, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, voiced his hope representatives from the two countries could enhance mutual understanding through friendly, frank and deep communication so as to achieve consensus on some key issues. This would contribute to the Sino-Germany friendship development.
Professor Heinrich Von Pierer, forum chairman of the German side and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG, expressed his sympathy and condolence to the Chinese people over the devastating May 12 earthquake in the southwestern Sichuan Province. He paid his respects to the spirit of the Chinese government and its people during their fight against the quake andin rebuilding homes.
Germany and China had witnessed a sound development of bilateral relations since the two established diplomatic ties in 1972, said von Pierer. He added Germany viewed China as an important partner in Asia, and the two countries shared opportunities of cooperation in wide fields such as economy, energy and climate change, among others.
During the two-day meeting, the representatives will touch upon a range of topics including China-Germany relations, the role of the media in promoting bilateral ties, deepening economic and trade cooperation, China's experiences in building a harmonious society and Germany's building of welfare society.
The China-Germany Dialogue Forum, a non-governmental event, was first established in Berlin in 2005. It aims to explore friendly bilateral cooperation in various fields and to make relevant suggestions to the two governments.
(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2008)
