Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered an important speech entitled Strengthening Mutually Beneficial Cooperation and Realizing Common Development at the welcome dinner hosted by the Asian-Pacific Committee of German Business on November 10. During the speech Hu noted that so long as China and Germany strengthen cooperation, learn from each other and facilitate each other on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, the two countries will surely achieve a win-win outcome and their partnership with global responsibility will undoubtedly keep progressing.

On the evening of November 10, in the resplendent banquet hall of Hotel Adlon, Berlin, the Asian-Pacific Committee of German Business hosted a welcome dinner for visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao. When Hu, accompanied by Heinrich von Pierer, Chairman of the Committee and Wolfgang Clement, German Economy and Labor Minister, stepped in the room, all the guests applauded warmly, showing their respect for him.

In his speech, Hu pointed out that both the Chinese and the German are great nations and have made great contributions to human civilization and progress. The two peoples enjoy a long history of exchanges and friendship. Currently, China-Germany relations grow rapidly and the bilateral cooperation in such fields as politics, economy and culture has achieved fruitful results, bringing about tangible benefits to the two peoples.

Hu raised five proposals on deepening China-Germany economic and trade cooperation. First, expanding trade volume and optimizing trade mix; second, broadening cooperative areas and exploring cooperative ways; third, strengthening exchanges of big companies and enhancing cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises; fourth, reinforcing humanistic exchanges and focusing on human resources development; fifth, improving consultation mechanism and building an enabling cooperation environment.

China adheres to harmonious development internally and peaceful development externally. These two aspects are closely linked and integrated with each other and both are conducive to building a harmonious world with long-lasting peace and common development, stressed Hu.

When talking about China-EU relations, Hu noted that China is the biggest developing country while EU is the largest group of developed countries in the world and the bilateral economic and trade cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit helps promote the sound development of economic globalization and world multi-polarization. China always looks at and handles the relations with EU from a strategic and long-term perspective and expects to push forward the bilateral ties on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit in a bid to forging a closer partnership between the two sides.

Following the speech, Hu took questions from the guests. When answering the energy question, Hu said that China has developed the basic principle of giving priority to saving, relying on domestic resources, taking coal as the basis, seeking diversified development and strengthening international cooperation. We will accelerate the economic restructuring, change the economic growth pattern, improve the innovation capacity and make great efforts to build an energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly society. China and Germany can enhance cooperation in cutting down energy consumption and raising energy efficiency.

The successful speech and the answers of Hu received positive responses from the guests. Chairman Heinrich von Pierer said that China's pace of reform and opening up and offer of facilitation to investors exceed the expectation of German entrepreneurs. He expressed full confidence in China's development and described the already existing relations of mutual trust between China and Germany by citing the old Chinese saying that "as distance tests a horse's strength, so time reveals a person's heart".

Accompanying Chinese officials including State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and 200 guests from German business community and government attended the dinner.