On May 7, Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met with the delegation led by Heinz Johannes Bierbaum, Chair of the Executive Board of the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, and Cornelia Hildebrandt, President of the foundation Transform! Europe, at the CPAFFC.

Yang Wanming stated that China attaches great importance to its relations with Germany. On May 6, President Xi Jinping pointed out in a congratulatory message to Friedrich Merz on his election as German Chancellor that as the world's second- and third-largest economies and two major countries with global influence, China and Germany should follow the trend of history, uphold fairness and justice, deepen exchanges and mutual learning, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, work together to weather storms and tempests, enhance the wellbeing of the two peoples, and jointly promote an equitable and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. Additionally, Yang noted that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU). Yesterday, President Xi Jinping, in his congratulatory messages to President of the European Council Antonio Costa and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, pointed out that China and the EU are comprehensive strategic partners, as well as two major forces for building a multipolar world, two major markets supporting globalization, and two major civilizations championing diversity. Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides have maintained close exchanges at all levels and across various fields, yielding fruitful outcomes in dialogue and cooperation. People-to-people and cultural exchanges have flourished, and multilateral coordination has delivered solid results. China-EU relations have grown into one of the most influential bilateral relationships in the world, making important contributions to enhancing the wellbeing of the people of China and Europe and promoting peace and development in the world.

Yang Wanming spoke positively of the roles played by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and the Transform! Europe in advancing the sound and steady growth of China-Germany and China-EU relations. He expressed the CPAFFC's willingness to work with the two institutions, guided by the important consensus reached by the leaders, to expand exchanges and dialogues, deepen pragmatic cooperation, build more bridges of people-to-people exchanges, practical cooperation, cultural exchanges, and youth friendship between China and Germany, as well as between China and the EU, and contribute to the sustained advancement of China-Germany and China-EU relations.

Heinz Johannes Bierbaum and Cornelia Hildebrandt highly praised China's remarkable achievements in economic and social development, emphasizing the importance of Germany-China and EU-China cooperation. They appreciated the positive contributions the CPAFFC has made to promoting people-to-people friendship and mutual understanding between China and Germany, as well as between China and the EU. They expressed the willingness to work closely with the CPAFFC, actively build communication platforms, and present a true China to all sectors of society in Germany and Europe in an objective way. Furthermore, they will facilitate exchanges and interactions across all sectors between Germany and China, as well as between Europe and China, increase mutual understanding on the basis of mutual respect to get mutual perceptions right, and make unremitting efforts to ensure that China-Germany and China-EU relations develop in the right direction.

Jiang Jiang, Vice President of the CPAFFC, attended the meeting.