On the afternoon of June 19, 2023 local time, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council had discussions and exchanges with representatives of the German business community in Berlin. Executives of German companies including Siemens, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Schaeffler, BASF, Covestro, Wacker Chemie, Merck, SAP and Allianz attended the event. As proposed by Premier Li Qiang, the participants candidly expressed their opinions and had in-depth exchanges on how to view the current international economic and political situation, China's economic trend, prospects of future technological development, and the so-called "de-risking" from and "reducing  dependence" on China as suggested  by some countries.

After listening to the speeches of the participating representatives, Li Qiang said that face-to-face communication can deepen the understanding and trust between people. In a world of change and turmoil, the more serious and complex the situation, the more necessary it is to think calmly and grasp certainty amid uncertainties. He called for actively following the law and the underlying trends, particularly the historical trend of economic globalization, the general trend of China's long-term economic development for the better, and the prevailing trend of win-win cooperation between China and Germany. Confidence needs to be strengthened to overcome difficulties. He called for accelerating the recovery of the world economy through openness and cooperation.

Noting that it is understandable that all parties have their own security concerns, Li Qiang said that what is important is how to reasonably define and guard against risks. If, not handled properly, the risks are amplified, it will only lead to more and bigger problems. Enterprises have the most direct and acute sense of risks and know how to avoid and respond to them. Enterprises should be re-put in the driving seat in terms of  risks prevention. Guarding against risks and cooperation are not opposites to each other. Failure to cooperate is the biggest risk, and failure to develop is the biggest insecurity. With economic globalization, the world economy has become interconnected, which calls for a dialectical view of dependence. That means one should refrain from exaggerating "the degree of dependence" or even simply equating interdependence with insecurity. As for some specific problems, all parties should analyze them case by case, and jointly prevent and respond to them through consultation and cooperation.

Li Qiang expressed his hope that both Chinese and German entrepreneurs will follow the trend, stay committed to openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains through high-quality and high-level practical cooperation. Li Qiang called for seizing the opportunities and taking prompt actions to strive for more outcomes in cooperation in emerging areas such as innovation and green and low-carbon development, making the pie of the two countries' common interests even bigger. He also expected the entrepreneurs to continue to serve as the envoys of the China-Germany friendship, and make greater contributions to the well-being of the two peoples, the development of China-Germany relations, and the friendly cooperation between China and Europe.

Noting that Germany and China are close partners of cooperation, participating German business representatives said that trade and economic cooperation between Germany and China have enjoyed a solid foundation and in-depth development, achieving great success. To eliminate risks, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation, and decoupling will not work. The German business community is optimistic about China's economic outlook and has every confidence in China,  believing that China will remain committed to opening up. They said that they are ready to continue to increase investment in China,  deeply explore the Chinese market, and further deepen Germany-China cooperation in tackling climate change, improving research and development capabilities, and advancing digital transformation, so as to achieve a situation of manufacturing in China, doing research and development with China, and achieving win-win outcomes with China.

Wu Zhenglong, among others, was present at the event.