Li Qiang rejects rhetoric of 'de-risking' or 'reducing dependence'

Premier Li Qiang rejected the rhetoric of "de-risking" or "reducing dependence" on China, and he called on Monday for adopting a "dialectical" approach to view the dependence issue and avoiding making simple equivalences between interdependence and insecurity.

Li made the remark in Berlin at a symposium attended by representatives of the German business community, including Siemens, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Schaeffler, BASF, Covestro, Wacker Chemie, Merck, ZF Friedrichshafen and Allianz. He is on an official visit to Germany at the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

During the meeting, he had a frank exchange of views with the business executives on how to view the current international economic and political situation, China's economic development, future technological development prospects, and the so-called "de-risking" rhetoric proposed by some Western countries, including Germany.

Li said all parties have their security concerns, but it is essential to reasonably define and prevent risks. Improper handling of the security issue could expand risks and create more significant problems, he said.

Risk prevention and cooperation are not opposites, Li said, and rejecting cooperation is the most significant risk, while not being developed is the most significant security issue.

Noting economic globalization creates interdependence within the global economy, the premier said that a dialectical approach should be adopted to view the dependence issue.

Interdependence doesn't simply means insecurity, he noted, and all parties can use negotiation and cooperation to prevent risks.

Li stressed that in today's world with many uncertainties, it is crucial to think calmly, grasp certainty amid uncertainties, observe the trends and adopt an open and cooperative approach - especially in the historical trends of economic globalization, the long-term positive trends in China's economy, and the mutually-beneficial cooperation trends between China and Germany,

He urged overcoming difficulties with firm confidence and adhering to openness and cooperation to jointly push for accelerated global economic recovery.

Li expressed his hope that Chinese and German entrepreneurs will develop high-quality and high-level pragmatic cooperation to uphold the stability of the industrial and supply chains, and strive to achieve more cooperation results in emerging areas, such as innovation, green and low-carbon development, and expand the pies of common interests.

Entrepreneurs should work together to continue to act as envoys of China-Germany friendship, contribute more substantially to enhancing the well-being of the peoples of both countries, promoting the development of China-Germany relations, and promoting China-Europe friendly cooperation, he added.

Participants from the German business community said that German businesses eagerly look forward to continued and in-depth cooperation with China.

The German business community is confident in China's economic development prospects and believes that China will continue to open up, they said. They are willing to increase investment in China, expand their presence in the Chinese market, and further deepen Sino-German cooperation in responding to climate change, enhancing research and development capabilities, and promoting digital transformation.

They said that maintaining international cooperation is the right way to risk mitigation and "decoupling" from China is not a solution.