German companies, both in China and Germany, should take all possible action to contribute to epidemic prevention work, said Hans-Peter Friedrich, vice president of German Federal Parliament.

China is the largest trade partner of Germany and was Germany's most important trading partner for the fourth year in a row in 2019, according to government data released on March 6. Goods valuing 205.7 billion euros (231 billion U.S. dollars) were traded between the two countries last year, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported.

"China and Germany are mutual important trade partners, which leads to, and at the same time requires, a stable and friendly economic relationship between the two countries," Friedrich said.

As German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that up to 70 percent of the country's population – some 58 million people – could contract the coronavirus, Friedrich said that companies, both in China and Germany, should do their best to contribute to the epidemic prevention work.

"I am very optimistic that the current loss due to the virus will be recovered in several months. I believe that policies and actions taken by the Chinese government and other European countries' governments are accurate and effective."

He also mentioned the stock crash with German companies surely suffering losses in the stock market.

"However, German companies are showing their understanding to what's happening. To fight against the virus, some intensive measures are necessarily to be taken," Friedrich said.

(Video provided by China International Investment Promotion Agency (Germany).)