Premier Li Keqiang on July 9 said China and Germany need to further explore their potential to improve trade facilitation and expand service trade between the two countries.

Premier Li, who is in Germany for a three-day official visit, made the remarks at the closing ceremony of a bilateral forum on economic and technological cooperation. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also attended the event.

The Premier called on the two countries to increase two-way investment and offer a fair, transparent and predictable investment environment for each other’s enterprises.

Noting that China-Germany cooperation has seen comprehensive, stable and healthy development, Li said the two countries need to actively promote innovation cooperation and further synergize their development strategies in innovation.

China-Germany cooperation is a fine example of cooperation between major countries as well as the South and the North, Premier Li said. Such a partnership has guided the China-Europe ties for a long time and injected vitality to the growths of both countries and the world at large, he added.

Premier Li also said industries like electric vehicle and intelligent manufacturing should be taken as a cooperation platform, calling on the two countries to step up cooperation in emerging industries including artificial intelligence, new-energy driven cars and autopilot.

When it comes to trade and investment, the premier said without free and open trading and investment environment, the economic and technological cooperation between China and Germany will come to a standstill.

China and Germany reaffirmed the stance that the two economies will jointly safeguard free trade and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, and defend the rule-based multilateral trading system, he said.