German chancellor stresses expanded cooperation during Shanghai visit

Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz highlighted the importance of expanding Germany-China cooperation on Monday during his third visit to Shanghai, saying cooperation is of vital importance to the future of the world.

During his short stay in Shanghai, Scholz spoke with students at Tongji University, visited German-funded enterprise Covestro's Asia-Pacific innovation center, and took a walk along the Bund. His previous visits to Shanghai took place in 2011 and 2015.

At Tongji University's Jiading Campus, Scholz held a dialogue with nearly 160 students, covering such topics as Germany-China youth exchanges, sustainable development, smart cities and artificial intelligence. He said he appreciated the university's achievements in international talent training and sci-tech innovation, noting that the institution serves as a bridge for Germany-China cooperation in the field of higher education.

He said that the global population could exceed 10 billion in the next 30 years, and countries around the world need to make greater efforts to face the many associated challenges. He noted that Germany-China cooperation is not only relevant to the two countries – it is related to the future of the world. He added that Germany and China need to expand cooperation in fields such as climate change, renewable energy development, trade and investment, and the research and development of innovative technology.

This June, the Berlin Philharmonic will visit Shanghai. Scholz learned that all the 6,000-plus tickets for the German orchestra's four concerts had been sold out in five minutes, when being released a week before his visit. He said this reflects the new changes in China's consumer market, and German companies should consider these changes and pay attention to them.

Scholz arrived in Chongqing on Sunday to kick off his three-day official visit to China. He left Shanghai for Beijing on Monday evening.

(With input from Xinhua)