President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that the more volatile and turbulent the international situation becomes, the greater the need for China and Germany to strengthen strategic communication, enhance mutual trust and promote the continuous new development of their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi made the remarks when receiving German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as the first foreign leader in the Year of the Horse at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Merz arrived on Wednesday morning for his inaugural visit to China since taking office in May last year.

"The Chinese New Year celebrations continue until the Lantern Festival. Your visit during the Chinese New Year is just like friends and relatives visiting each other," Xi told the German guest, saying that it fully reflects the closeness and high level of China-Germany relations.

Xi called on the two sides to use the stability and vitality of China-Germany ties to promote cooperation in China-European Union relations and contribute to harmony and common good in a turbulent world.

Speaking about the future development of China-Germany relations, Xi said the two countries should strive to be reliable partners that support each other, partners for innovation committed to openness and mutual benefit, and partners in cultural exchanges that understand and respect one another.

Xi stressed that China remains committed to the path of peaceful development and has both the confidence and capability to advance Chinese modernization. China will continue to share development opportunities with countries around the world, including Germany, he said. It is hoped that Germany will view China's development in an objective and rational way, uphold a positive China policy and meet China halfway to work for sustained and steady progress in growing China-Germany relations, Xi said.

The two sides should strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, promote the two-way flow of talent, knowledge and technology, and enhance dialogue and cooperation in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, he said.

Xi said that China and Germany should properly handle the relationship between competition and cooperation, explore mutually beneficial and win-win pathways of cooperation, and jointly keep industrial and supply chains stable and unimpeded.

Noting that both China and Germany are major countries with profound cultural heritage, Xi called on the two sides to deepen mutual learning between civilizations, expand people-to-people exchanges and consolidate the public foundation of friendship between the two nations.

Xi also noted the importance of China and Germany upholding the central role of the United Nations and reinvigorating its leading role.

Beijing and Berlin should take the lead in being upholders of multilateralism, practitioners of international rule of law, defenders of free trade and advocates of solidarity and coordination, he said.

Xi said China supports Europe's efforts to strengthen its strategic autonomy and hopes the EU will work with China in the same direction, uphold the positioning of their strategic partnership, adhere to openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and promote greater development of China-EU relations in order to make a larger contribution to world peace and development.

Merz said the German side attaches great importance to its relations with China and remains firmly committed to the one-China policy. Germany stands ready to work with China to carry forward the tradition of friendship, uphold mutual respect, openness and cooperation, and continuously deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he said.

Merz, who is accompanied by a high-level trade delegation with senior executives from around 30 leading German companies, said the German business community places high importance on the Chinese market and hopes to further expand cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and shared development.

Xi and Merz also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis. Xi outlined China's principled position on the crisis, saying that seeking solutions through dialogue and negotiation is key to the issue.

Xi noted the necessity of ensuring the equal participation of all parties to lay a solid foundation for peace, addressing the legitimate concerns of all sides to strengthen the will for peace, and achieving common security to build a lasting framework for peace.

The two sides issued a joint press statement, in which they expressed their willingness to properly address each other's concerns through candid and open dialogue, so as to ensure a long-term, balanced, reliable and sustainable economic and trade relationship.

As part of his two-day visit, Merz is scheduled to tour Beijing's Forbidden City and the Mercedes-Benz production facility, before traveling to Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, to visit Chinese robotics company Unitree and German turbine manufacturer Siemens Energy.

Jin Ling, director of the Department for Global Governance and International Organizations at the China Institute of International Studies, said Merz's visit itself carries significance against the backdrop of debate within Europe over how to approach China.

By emphasizing partnership and a cooperative tone, Merz has sent a signal aimed at filtering out "noise" and external interference, and at anchoring China-Germany and China-EU relations in pragmatic cooperation, she said.

Merz is the latest in a string of Western leaders to visit Beijing in close succession within just a few weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"These visits reflect recognition of China's global role and the opportunities presented by its market. Missing out on the Chinese market would mean missing out on opportunities, is a view that appears to be gaining wider consensus," Jin added.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn