'Moving ahead together'

Whirlwind visits by German ministers to China this year have thawed bilateral relations that took on a diplomatic chill in 2007.

"What we encountered over the past months gave us a lesson - how important it is for both our sides to enhance mutual understanding," said Michael Schaefer, German ambassador to China.

There are tiffs even between good friends, Schaefer said, noting it is crucial to enhance dialog and seek solutions.

Compared with exchanges between governments and business communities, the ambassador seems to most value communication between peoples in the two countries.

His preference for people-to-people communication is illustrated by his advocacy of the ongoing German promotional campaign entitled "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together" now underway in Chongqing, a municipality in southwest China.

It is Germany's biggest-ever overseas promotional campaign to showcase its national image of "inspiration and innovation" that enables more Chinese people to experience the German lifestyle in their own homeland, Schaefer said.

The campaign's name is the best description of bilateral relations, Schaefer said.

Over the past 36 years, the China-Germany partnership has been growing increasingly close, he noted, most reflected in economic cooperation. Germany, as China's biggest European trade partner, has increasingly greater stakes in the trade powerhouse.

Bilateral trade stood at $94.11 billion last year, an increase of 20.4 percent over 2006, according to figures on the Chinese Ministry of Commerce website.

"The partnership has also extended into other sectors such as politics, culture and technology," Schaefer said, adding that both sides seek further understanding of each other.

"The German campaign is just going with the tide," he said. It is expected to inject more vigor into already dynamic bilateral relations, he added.

With the theme of sustainable urbanization, the three-year event hosted in turn by six Chinese cities in different regions every six months is expected to help China tackle problems arising from urbanization, Schaefer said.

After its inauguration in Nanjing last year, which lasted three months and attracted more than 200,000 visitors, the campaign began its second leg in Chongqing today and will continue until May 17.

Activities covering culture, technology and education will present a multifaceted Germany to the western municipality.

Forums and symposiums on sustainable development will also highlight the event.

In addressing growing global challenges like climate change and other environmental issues, China and Germany, as big countries, should play significant roles in seeking solutions to save energy and resources, the ambassador said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will attend an environmental symposium in Chongqing in June.

Following the Chongqing event, the campaign will move to Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, in the second half of this year.

The German ambassador expressed his best wishes for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which will be held in August, just between the Chongqing and Guangzhou stages.

"I hope we make contributions through the campaign to realize the theme of this Olympics - 'One world, one dream'," he said.

(China Daily 05/09/2008 page17)