On May 6, 2025, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Friedrich Merz on his election as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Germany are all-round strategic partners. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 53 years ago, the two countries have treated each other with mutual respect, mutual trust and equality. The two countries have consistently followed a path of mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation, growing into good partners that advance together and help each other succeed, and promoting the sustained and sound development of bilateral relations through high-level cooperation. Today's world is marked by intertwined transformation and upheaval, with surging headwinds of unilateralism and protectionism. Yet peace, development, and win-win cooperation remain the right way forward for humanity and the unstoppable trends of the times. As the world's second- and third-largest economies and two major countries with global influence, China and Germany should follow the trend of history, uphold fairness and justice, deepen exchanges and mutual learning, strengthen solidarity and cooperation, work together to weather storms and tempests, enhance the well-being of the two peoples, and jointly promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. Xi Jinping said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Germany relations, and is ready to work with Chancellor Friedrich Merz to stay true to the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic relations, consolidate political mutual trust, deepen exchanges and cooperation, and open a new chapter in the all-round strategic partnership between China and Germany, so as to steer China-EU cooperation in the right direction, and jointly promote world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

On the same day, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council sent a congratulatory message to Friedrich Merz on his election as German Chancellor. Noting that China and Germany are all-round strategic partners, Li Qiang said the practical cooperation between the two sides in various fields has yielded remarkable results and has broad prospects. Equality, mutual benefit, cooperation and win-win outcomes are the historical choices made by both countries and the most distinctive features of China-Germany relations, which should be carefully nurtured, inherited and promoted by both sides. Li Qiang said that he looks forward to establishing and maintaining a sound working relationship with Friedrich Merz, deepening exchanges and jointly promoting development, enhancing understanding and building consensus, continuously enriching the China-Germany all-round strategic partnership, and steering China-Germany and China-EU cooperation in the right direction.