French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel exchanged views on European Union-China relations with China’s President Xi Jinping in a video conference on Monday.
Xi told Macron and Merkel that he hoped China and Europe would expand cooperation to better respond to global challenges, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
In a three-way video call, Xi expressed his desires that Europeans can play a more active role in international affairs, achieve strategic independence and offer a fair, transparent and unbiased environment for Chinese companies.
“They also discussed international trade, climate protection and biodiversity,” Merkel’s office said in a statement.
“The conversation also revolved around cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, global vaccine supply, and international and regional issues.”
On the other hand, the German Chancellor discussed Covid travel restrictions with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday, marking her final official visit to the UK as chancellor.
Merkel affirmed, during the meeting, that Britons who have had two COVID-19 vaccinations should soon be able to travel to Germany without going into quarantine on arrival.
