BERLIN — Premier Li Keqiang met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on July 9 in Berlin, calling on the two countries to seek common ground while reserving differences to maximize their common interests.

During their meeting, Premier Li first conveyed to Steinmeier sincere regards from President Xi Jinping.

Currently, the development of bilateral ties between the two countries has maintained a high-level and rapid momentum, said Premier Li, noting that the fifth round of China-Germany intergovernmental consultations has helped draw a road map for the next phase bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The Premier also noted that the two sides at the consultations agreed to strengthen all-round strategic cooperation and to jointly send out a signal of safeguarding multilateralism and free trade with concrete actions.

In the 21st century, it is an outdated act to set trade barriers, said the Premier.

He said China hopes to work with Germany to maintain high-level exchanges, and strengthen communication and cooperation in various fields, so that the two countries can set an example in seeking common ground while reserving differences, and striving for cooperation to maximize common interests.

Steinmeier said that under the current situation, Germany and China, both major trading nations, do not want to see the process of trade liberalization being threatened.

He suggested that all parties should be committed to looking for consensus and implementing more far-sighted policies, so as to safeguard the productive trade liberalization process and promote common development and prosperity.