President Hu meets German counterpart, Japanese guest

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-07 21:03

BEIJING -- Chinese President Hu Jintao met separately with German President Horst Koehler and Japan-China Friendship Association Chairman Koichi Kato in Beijing on Sunday.

German President Horst Koehler (L) shakes hand with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing September 7, 2008. [Agencies]

The meetings took place on the sidelines of the Beijing Paralympic Games, which just opened on Saturday night. President Koehler and Kato, who is former secretary-general of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), both attended the Games' grand opening ceremony.

While meeting with Koehler, Hu first welcomed his German counterpart to the Games and extended congratulations to German athletes on their "excellent performance" at the Beijing Olympic Games.

During the August 8-24 Olympics, the German squad placed fifth on the gold medal table with 16 golds, and also grabbed 10 silvers and 15 bronzes.

Hu also took the opportunity to thank the German government and people for their support and assistance during the blizzard disaster and the Sichuan earthquake that struck China in the first half of the year.

Koehler said the Beijing Paralympics opening ceremony was superbly organized, and he was particularly impressed by Li Yue, a teenage amputee ballerina from the quake zone of Sichuan who performed at the ceremony.

It is important to pay attention to the long-term impact of disasters, and help those affected people rebuild their faith in life in the reconstruction process, said the German leader.

Both leaders agreed to further promote bilateral relations.

"The Sino-German relations have shown a sound momentum of development, thanks to concerted efforts by both sides," Hu said.

"Our economic and trade cooperation is growing robustly, and remarkable progress has been made in cultural, youth and legal exchanges and cooperation," said Hu. "We have maintained communication and cooperation in major international and regional affairs."

"Our countries share many common interests, and also face a lot of challenges," he added.

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