2023.07.06
On the 8th June, the Grandview Institution (GVI) and the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation jointly held the first Sino-German Youth Salon. The theme of the salon is “The Trajectory of Sino-German Relation after the German Chancellor Scholz’s Visit to China”. The salon was attended by the Director of the Political Section of the German Embassy in China Arend Wulff, the Vice President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Ludger Schuknecht, Counsellor of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sun Mingxi, Vice President of DHL Group Chen Yan, and the Associate Professor of the German Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University Kou Kou. They engaged in dialogues with young scholars, entrepreneurs and university students from both China and Germany. The Chief Representative of the Adenauer Foundation’s Beijing Representative Office Johann Fuhrmann, and the Vice Chairman of GVI Li Xinyu delivered key speeches at the event. The Director of the Public Affairs Department of GVI Mao Jing, presided over the event.
The participants believed that China’s development not only changed itself, but also changed China’s role in the world, and Sino-German or Sino-European relations have become one of the most important bilateral relations in the world. However, due to the impact of the epidemic, exchanges between China and Germany have been hindered, and Scholz's visit to China at the end of last year not only indicated the renewal of exchanges between China and Germany, but also witnessed the commencement of warmer relationship between China and Europe. Not so long ago, the Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Part of China’s Central Committee and Premier of the State Council Li Qiang met with a delegation led by Co-Chairman Klingebel of the German Social Democratic Party in the Great Hall of the People. Klingebel conveyed Premier Scholz's cordial greetings and best wishes to Premier Li Qiang, stating that Germany is actively preparing for the 7th round of German-Chinese government consultations. The participants hoped that through such a high-level meeting, the all-round exchanges between the two countries can be resumed once again.
The Chinese guests believed that the Sino-Germany relationship is the epitome of the mutually beneficial and win-win relationship between China and Europe. China and Germany are interdependent, not one-way dependent. China will not engage in ideological confrontation, but advocates dialogue among civilizations instead, thus China is not an opponent of Germany or Europe, but a partner that provides opportunities. “At the moment, we should focus on strengthening exchanges and rebuilding mutual trust. On this basis, continue to improve bilateral relations and open up new areas of cooperation.”
The German guests stated that Germany has no intention of decoupling from China, but that after the Russo-Ukraine Conflict, Germany realised that it needs to minimise domestic economic risks, and this idea to a certain extent is also reflected in Germany’s China policy. The German guests believed that China and Germany are facing common global challenges such as the Russo-Ukraine issue and climate change, and “China is an indispensable partner in solving these problems.”
The participants also discussed development opportunities and cooperation possibilities between China and Germany in the future, such as in the fields of digitalisation, sustainable development and e-commerce.
The Sino-Germany Youth Salon is a public communication platform provided by the GVI to strengthen exchanges and communication between youths in both China and Germany, and to enhance mutual understanding and cognition. As such, it is inclusive, diverse and forward-looking. The youth of China and Germany will be quintessential in China and Germany jointly attempting to solve global problems in the future.