Let me start by congratulating you on your new mandate. China is of great importance to Europe through interdependencies and a long-shared history. And I say this as well from a family experience because my father who was Prime Minister of the German state of Lower-Saxony, I remember that he told me when I was a young girl about his visits to China in the mid and late 80s. And in fact, I believe that during one of these visits he signed with the province Anhui the very first cooperation agreement between the Chinese province and the German 'land'. And this was one of the many impulses for the very deep and wide relations that China and the European Union have established in the meantime.
Both Europe and China have benefitted immensely from this relationship, however EU-China relations have become more complex in the recent years. And it is important that we discuss together all the aspects of our relations today. This will help both the European Union and China to navigate a complex and volatile geopolitical environment. So I am very much looking forward to our discussions.
