Frankfurt (Germany), 25 February (LaPresse) – At the start of his inaugural visit to China, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Chinese Premier Li Qiang promised deeper cooperation. ‘We have very specific concerns about our cooperation, which we want to improve and make more equitable,’ Merz said. Germany attaches great importance to maintaining and deepening its strong economic relations with China, its main trading partner last year, Merz said after his arrival in Beijing. At the same time, he stressed, as he had done before his departure, the need for fair cooperation and open communication. ‘We have very specific concerns about our cooperation that we want to improve and make more equitable,’ Merz said. Li, for his part, insisted on the need to work with Germany to protect multilateralism and free trade in light of the tariff dispute initiated by US President Donald Trump. ‘China and Germany, as two of the world's largest economies and important and influential countries, should strengthen our confidence in cooperation, jointly protect multilateralism and free trade, and work to build a more just and equitable global governance system,’ Li said.