Peng Liyuan chats over tea with wife of German president

BEIJING - Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, chatted over tea with Elke Budenbender, wife of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in Beijing on Friday.

Budenbender is accompanying her husband who is on a state visit to China until Oct 31.

Peng happily recalled her trip accompanying President Xi on his visit to Germany in 2017 and expressed her appreciation for Budenbender's long-standing commitment to safeguarding the rights and interests of women and children.

They watched a short film on the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Germany.

Peng noted that the cooperation between China and Germany in areas such as education and culture is rich and diverse. She expressed the hope that the people from both countries will maintain frequent exchanges, continuously enhance mutual understanding, and promote closer bonds between the two peoples.

Budenbender expressed heartfelt gratitude for Peng's hospitality and her appreciation for Peng's work on cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Germany and China. She stated her willingness to contribute to deepening bilateral cooperation in relevant fields and enhancing friendship between the two peoples.