Zhou Xiaochuan (C), former governor of China's central bank and current president of the China Society for Finance and Banking, speaks during a seminar on the Sino-German economic relations in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 21, 2018. Chinese and German experts on Friday attended the seminar co-sponsored by Germany's Koerber Foundation and the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)
BERLIN, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Experts from China and Germany on Friday vowed to strengthen dialogues to dispel misunderstanding and strengthen multilateralism amid uncertainties arising from the trade disputes.
"The two sides have some misunderstandings in their cooperation and both sides have critics to each other, but I believe it is conducive to the mutual understanding," said Zhou Xiaochuan, former governor of China's central bank and currently president of the China Society for Finance and Banking.
Zhou made the remarks at the opening speech of a seminar themed Sino-German economic relation co-sponsored by Germany's Koerber Foundation and the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) in Berlin.
Attended by leading experts in finance, economics, trade and international relations from China and Germany, the seminar focused on the risks and also problems between the two countries, as well as between China and the European Union, in an open and candid way.
According to Zhou, experts discussed the issue of the alleged subsidies of China's State-owned enterprises (SOEs), the intellectual property protection issues, as well as the reform of the WTO system.
"We hope that through the discussion can we promote the China-EU and China-Germany strategic cooperation," added Zhou.
"We have talked a lot about the differences of economic systems. There are concerns in Germany about China, such as market rules, the access to market, (and) the role of the state in economy," said Thorsten Benner, director of the Berlin-based think-tank Global Public Policy Institute.
Benner believed that dialogues helped to build a positive contact between China and Germany as well as Europe.
The seminar took place amid the trade war waged by the United States, which was a major topic of many experts, who called for joining hands to safeguard a rule-based multilateral economic and trade system.
Bernt Berger, head of the Asia Research Program and senior fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, told Xinhua after the seminar that the multilateral policies of the Trump Administration have brought many challenges to both Europe and China.
"In the future Europe and China can strengthen multilateralism through development cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative, climate change initiative," said Berger, who believed that it would be China-Europe partnership strengthening international order, rather than strategic alliance.
"The discussion was candid beyond my expectation," Nora Mueller, executive Director International Affairs of Koerber Foundation, told Xinhua. "We all talked about problems. It is good for strengthening mutual understanding."
"It was a high-quality dialogue, every candid, practical and result-oriented," said Zhu Guangyao, former Chinese vice finance minister. "China and Germany are both defenders of the economic globalization and multilateralism, and in this respect the two sides have common interests."
