In recognition of their joint global responsibilities China on Monday called for advancement of  China-German relations based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.

"China regards its ties with Germany as extremely important and is willing to make concerted efforts with Germany to foster all-round China-EU partnerships and achieve sustainable peace and common prosperity in the world," Chinese President Hu Jintao said in his meeting with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"China and Germany are both influential nations in the world and their respective regions," Hu said. The two sides shared same or similar views on significant international issues such as the maintenance of the world peace and promotion of common prosperity.

Hu also spoke highly of the development of bilateral relations between the two countries. He expressed his appreciation of Germany's focus on relations with China and the continuity of the their China policy.

"China and Germany have established frequent high-level exchanges and witnessed rapid growth of bilateral trade and investment in recent years", Hu said. He added that Germany is China's largest trading partner within the EU and the two countries had held intensive consultations and cooperated on international issues within the framework of China-EU relations.

"We appreciate the German government's adherence to the one-China policy and support Germany playing a larger role in international organizations such as the United Nations", Hu said.

Echoing Hu's views on bilateral relations, Merkel said Germany would continue to uphold the one-China policy and the continuity of the two countries' strategic and cooperative partnership. They shared many common interests and could establish cooperation in many fields, Merkel stressed.

She highlighted that China and Germany have signed a series of agreements in the fields of economics, technology, intellectual property protection, culture and human rights during her visit.

Merkel expressed the hope that the two nations could cement cooperation in fields such as energy security and energy efficiency. She also talked about strengthening communication and collaboration on various international issues in multilateral organizations especially the UN.

During talks Hu briefed his guest on China's energy policy and the two exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2006)