Chinese President Hu Jintao held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the afternoon of May 31, 2007.

In the telephone conversation, Hu said the development of relations between China and Germany has maintained a good momentum. China and Germany, as two influential countries in the world, share broad interests and consensus on some major issues such as safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, he said. China has always looked at and developed the Sino-German ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, and is willing to work with the German side to bring Sino-German partnership with global responsibility to a new high, he added.

The Chinese president also said that the upcoming summit of G8 members and developing countries to be held in Germany will be conducive to strengthening dialogue between the north and south, as well as to pushing for mapping out solutions to global challenges. China will work, in the spirit of equal partnership, with leaders of Germany and other countries participating in the summit for an in-depth exchange of views on prominent global issues, and jointly make the dialogue a success, Hu said.

After reviewing the recent successful visit to China by President Horst Koehler, Merkel said Germany attaches great importance to relations with China and that she was looking forward to her visit to China in the second half of 2007. Merkel also briefed Hu on the ongoing preparation for hosting the summit and Germany's relevant considerations, adding that Germany gives priority to President Hu Jintao's attendance at the meeting and hopes to see a positive role to be played by the Chinese side.