From June 20 to 21, 2023 local time, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council made a trip to the State of Bavaria during his visit to Germany.

When meeting with Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder, Li Qiang commended the State of Bavaria as a pioneer in promoting trade and economic cooperation and sub-national friendship between China and Germany, noting the longstanding history and remarkable achievements in Bavaria's friendly cooperation with China. Li said China values the traditional friendship with the State of Bavaria, and will continue to encourage sister provinces/states and cities of the two sides to consolidate mutual trust, expand exchanges and deepen cooperation, so as to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results at a higher level. Noting that more Bavarian companies are welcome to invest and do business in China, Li Qiang expressed the hope that they will build on past achievements to write a new chapter of practical cooperation between China and Germany.

Söder said that the State of Bavaria will never forget the strong support provided by China for its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Bavaria opposes decoupling, supports cooperation, advocates opening up markets and technologies, and hopes to work with China to deepen economic and trade cooperation, strengthen sub-national exchanges, and jointly address climate change and other global challenges. Bavaria admires China's great development achievements and is ready to be a reliable cooperation partner of China.

At the BMW Welt, Li Qiang, accompanied by Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, visited the exhibition areas of intelligent networked vehicles and new energy vehicles, among others, and learned in detail about the development the trend of electric vehicles, new energy development, and unmanned driving, among others. He pointed out that the automotive industry is an important area in which German companies are deeply involved in the process of China's reform and opening up, and that China is a high-quality cooperation partner of the German automotive industry. He expressed the hope that BMW will stay committed to its strategy of "at home in China" and work with China as a partner for high-quality development. Zipse said that the development course of BMW coincides with Chinese modernization, and BMW will continue to make positive contributions to deepening cooperation between Germany and China.

At the headquarters of Siemens, Li Qiang, accompanied by Roland Busch, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens AG, watched technology and product demonstrations such as indoor vertical farming, a digital enterprise experience center, automatic sorting robots, and high-end magnetic resonance imaging equipment. Li Qiang pointed out the important significance and broad prospects of using digital technology to empower small- and medium-sized enterprises, and stressed the need of a proper plan for the development of artificial intelligence. Noting China's intensified efforts to build a "digital China", Li Qiang expressed the hope that Siemens will work with Chinese partners to expand cooperation in new areas such as industrial digitization, and green and low-carbon transition, so as to achieve more win-win results.

Wu Zhenglong was present at the above events.

Li Qiang left Berlin and arrived in Munich on the afternoon of June 20 local time. The Bavarian state government held a welcome ceremony with local characteristics for Li Qiang.