BEIJING — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed bilateral ties with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in a telephone conversation on Feb 1.

In the in-depth exchange of views, Maas highlighted the year 2020 as vital to bilateral relations, saying his country is willing to make real efforts with China to improve and develop the ties.

Regarding bilateral ties, he noted that Germany abides by the agreed upon principles reached between the two countries in recent years.

Germany respects China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, is committed to the one-China policy, regards Hong Kong as part of China and supports its practice of "one country, two systems," which serves as the foundation for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability.

Maas said Germany will take care of each other's core interests, strengthen exchanges and dialogue with China, consolidate mutual understanding and trust, and push forward cooperation in various areas bilaterally and multilaterally.

Germany assumes the rotating European Union (EU) presidency in the second half of this year, and is willing to work with China to ensure the success of everything important on the EU-China political agenda, he noted.

For his part, Wang noted that the world is undergoing profound and complex changes, with growing instability and uncertainty. As major countries of significant influence, Germany and China should enhance strategic communication and cooperation, he said.

Wang said the key to a successful relationship is to maintain mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs as well as abide by other international norms, urging Germany to fulfill its commitments with concrete actions.

The Chinese foreign minister also called for strengthening dialogue, deepening mutual trust, and properly handling disagreements, in order to sustain a healthy and stable development of bilateral ties.

China is willing to work with Germany to elevate China-EU relations to new heights, Wang added.