German president lauds China's vitality, seeks closer cooperation

Later that afternoon, Steinmeier delivered a speech at Peking University, where he reflected on what he had seen and learned during the five-day visit. "Since reform and opening-up, China's economy has grown remarkably, unprecedented in world history in both speed and scale, and I deeply admire this," he said.

He noted that China is now one of the world's most innovative economies and leads in many future-oriented markets.