This is my second visit to Beijing, but in my family, China, and especially the province of Anhui, played a role. When I was young, my father, as Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, secured the first agreement with the province of Anhui and Lower-Saxony. And this partnership continues to flourish today.
I would like to thank you for an entire day of high-ranking, high-level talk, beginning this morning with Prime Minister Li, and our trilateral meeting this afternoon with President Macron; and now this opportunity to continue frank and open discussions on key issues in the European Union-China relations.
We discussed in detail the European approach to de-risk, not to de-couple. We exchanged views on the Russian war in Ukraine – Ukraine a country that is defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity. There needs to be a just peace and full respect of the UN Charter and international law. And both, the European Union and China, we can contribute.
And finally, on global climate change we agreed to cooperate closely the preparation of COP28. Climate change remains the overarching global challenge that we can only master by working very closely together. Therefore, I am very much looking forward to our trilateral meeting.
