Op-Ed Contributors

Tackle issues in shared spirit

By Yu Xiang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-14 07:55

China and Germany should enhance cooperation and handle fresh challenges together in the post-crisis era

China and Germany must push forward bilateral ties to better seize opportunities and combat challenges in the post-crisis era.

The two major world powers have carried out high-level exchanges since the beginning of this year. These interactions have played a positive role in strengthening bilateral cooperation, which is expected to get a fillip during German Chancellor Angela Merkel's three-day official visit to Beijing starting Thursday.

Expanding economic and trade cooperation is bound to top Merkel's agenda, especially at a time when stronger global economic recovery is needed to boost consumer confidence.

Beijing and Berlin have huge potential for closer cooperation and deeper ties will benefit both nations in trade and economic matters.

The Sino-German trade volume managed to touch $100 billion in 2009 - equivalent to the combined value of China's trade with the European Union's other major economies of Britain, France and Italy - despite the global slowdown.

Of this, German exports to China amounted to $55.8 billion, a bright point in the otherwise slow foreign trade growth between the two.

The trade picture indicates that bilateral ties have fended off successfully the effects of the global financial crisis, and have become complementary in nature.

Shared concerns have laid a solid political foundation for the further development of bilateral ties, as Germany has paid more attention recently than in the past to China's core interests.

Germany's objective and impartial stance on the issue of China's renminbi exchange rate and the Taiwan question has created a positive political atmosphere between the two nations. Besides, similar positions on many key issues, such as trade protectionism, Iran's nuclear standoff and climate change, have broadened the space for further mutual cooperation.

The prevalent global power structure is likely to witness enormous changes in the post-crisis era, with some countries rising and others struggling.

All major international issues, ranging from the reform of international financial institutions to climate change, nuclear non-proliferation and counter-terrorism initiatives, can only be tackled through multilateral mechanisms such as the G20.

Deepened cooperation between China, an important representative of emerging economies, and Germany, an influential EU member, will help settle many issues of global significance.

However, even heightened interaction in several areas during the past years has not completely ironed out discordances in bilateral ties.