On the afternoon of July 9, 2018 local time, Premier Li Keqiang and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany jointly met the press at German Chancellery in Berlin after co-chairing the 5th Round of China-Germany Inter-governmental Consultation, introducing the outcomes of the consultation and answering the questions.

Li Keqiang expressed that this round of bilateral inter-governmental consultation has achieved fruitful outcomes in various fields and opened up new cooperation for China and Germany in the future. In the process of its new round of opening up, China will continue to optimize market environment and strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights. Germany is welcome to seize the opportunity of China's new round of reform and opening up. In the era of informatization and a new round of technological revolution being constantly updated and upgraded, all parties should look at technical cooperation with a more confident and open mind. China and Germany should, through concrete cooperation, show that the two countries are committed to maintaining multilateralism and free trade, and promoting respective development of the two countries and the process of world economic recovery.

In response to the question about the just-concluded 7th Summit of Heads of Government of China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC), Li Keqiang said that the "16+1 cooperation" is a cooperation platform jointly established by China and CEEC, and also an important component of and a beneficial supplement to China-Europe relations. China hopes the European Union (EU) will maintain its unity, stability and development. The "16+1 cooperation" covers both EU member states and non-EU member states. For CEEC that have joined the EU, the "16+1 cooperation" can help their economic development and improve the average development level of the EU; for other countries wishing to join the EU, the "16+1 cooperation" can help them narrow the development gap, and meet the standards to join the EU at an early date.

Li Keqiang pointed out that the "16+1 cooperation" has always followed general international rules including those of the World Trade Organization, complied with the framework of relevant laws and regulations in the EU, stuck to market-oriented operations, and made no exclusive arrangements. This meeting proposed to set up a "16+1 global partnership center" in Sofia with the aim of helping enterprises from all parties understand laws and regulations of China, CEEC and the EU, providing consultation services on policies and laws and intellectual support for conducting cooperation, and introducing the principle of the "16+1 cooperation" featuring openness, equality, justice and transparency, in a bid to propel openness and prosperity for China and CEEC as well as for China and Europe.

Xiao Jie and He Lifeng attended the activity.