China's Premier pitches to German Chancellor closer collaboration

China's Premier Li Qiang pitched closer collaboration to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in new energy, smart manufacturing, biomedicine and intelligent driving during a meeting on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Xinhua reported.



Relations between the world's second- and third-largest economies have improved significantly over the past month, after Chinese export curbs on chips and rare earths caused major disruptions for German firms and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to cancel a visit to Beijing last month due to China rejecting all but one of his meetings.



German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil made the first official visit of Merz's premiership last week, stabilising ties by meeting China's top economic official Vice Premier He Lifeng, as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs weigh on the two major exporters.



Merz is also expected to visit China soon.



Li said he "hoped Germany would maintain a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, eliminate interference and pressure, focus on shared interests, and consolidate the foundation for cooperation," a state media readout released late on Sunday quoted China's second-ranking official as saying.