Xi Jinping meets with Austrian Chancellor Stockel

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 6 (Reporter Wen Xin) On the afternoon of November 6, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Austrian Chancellor Stockel, who was in China for an official visit.

Xi Jinping pointed out that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Austria. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides have upheld the spirit of mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit. Political mutual trust has been continuously consolidated, and practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples. Trust and friendship are valuable features of China-Austria relations, spanning differences in social systems, history and culture, and development stages. The two sides should consolidate political mutual trust, continue the positive momentum of high-level exchanges, increase trust and resolve doubts through exchanges, and lay a solid political foundation for future cooperation. During China's "15th Five-Year Plan" period, it is necessary to cultivate emerging industries, upgrade traditional industries, and expand opening up with a focus on the service industry. "China Opportunity 2.0" will not only bring market dividends, but also innovation dividends. China is willing to expand practical cooperation with Austria in new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence, digital economy, green development and other emerging fields to create a new engine for economic and trade growth. China-Austria friendship has a broad social basis. The two sides should expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, facilitate personnel exchanges, and promote the two peoples to get closer.

Xi Jinping emphasized that the current international situation is intertwined with chaos and events, and unilateralism and protectionism are moving against the current. China and Austria should jointly practice true multilateralism, support free trade, and contribute to the construction of a more fair and reasonable global governance system. A growing and growing China is not the source of the problems Europe faces, but a partner and fellow traveler who can help Europe solve its problems. China and the EU should focus on cooperation, persist in resolving economic and trade frictions through dialogue and consultation, and achieve mutual benefit, win-win results, and common development.

Stockel said that Austria-China relations are developing well and the two countries have always trusted and supported each other since the establishment of diplomatic relations 55 years ago. Austria is committed to closer Austria-China friendly strategic partnership, adheres to the one-China policy, and is willing to work with China to comprehensively strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, science and technology, innovation and other fields based on the cooperation and trust established over the years, promote cultural, tourism and other people-to-people exchanges, and promote new development of bilateral relations. Austria actively supports the development of EU-China relations and hopes that both sides can resolve economic and trade differences through candid dialogue and consultation. Austria is willing to work with China to uphold multilateralism, strengthen multilateral coordination, promote sustainable development, respond to challenges such as climate change, and maintain world prosperity and stability.

Wang Yi attended the meeting.