Premier Zhu Rongji said yesterday he hoped that Sino-German cooperation will “embark on the same high-speed tracks (for development) as the magnetic levitation train in Shanghai.”
Following his talks with visiting German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Zhu told a press conference that he is confident about the prospects for trade and economic co-operation between China and Germany.
"We are very satisfied with the development of cooperation between China and Germany since Chancellor Schroeder took office," said Zhu, describing current bilateral cooperation as "having reached an unprecedented level of depth and scope."
Official statistics indicate that between January and October, the trade volume between China and Germany had reached US$23.5 billion, the total figure in 2001.
Apart from increased trade volumes, Zhu also expected that German investment in China will reach a record high this year.
Meanwhile, Schroeder attributed the fast development of bilateral co-operation and exchanges to the open political relationship between the two countries.
More than 30,000 Chinese students and scholars have visited Germany, and Schroeder said this ensured a bright future for Sino-German ties.
Both Zhu and Schroeder are expected to attend a ceremony that will officially start the operation of the magnetic levitation train in Shanghai tomorrow. They visited the construction site last year.
Construction started in March last year on the 30- kilometer magnetic levitation railway. The project, costing a total of nearly 10 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) will be the first of its kind to be used for commercial purposes.
The project is one of the major events in the history of Sino-German economic cooperation, Zhu was quoted as saying during his meeting with Schroeder by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
According to the spokesman, Schroeder replied by saying that the Shanghai project is an important indication of fruitful bilateral economic and technological cooperation.
Schroeder added that Germany hopes to further develop cooperation and exchanges with China in various fields including tourism, culture and personnel exchanges as well as consultations in the United Nations Security Council.
(China Daily December 30, 2002)
