China says 'willing' to work with new German government to strengthen ties

​​​​​By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China on Monday said it was “willing” to work with new government in Germany to strengthen bilateral relations, state media reported.

Beijing “is willing to work with the new German federal government to strengthen and further develop the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Germany,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in the Chinese capital.

The statement from Beijing came as Germany’s conservative alliance comprising the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) won the country’s parliamentary elections with 28.6% of the vote, according to official provisional results announced Monday by the Electoral Commission.

And the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party came in second with 20.8%, up 10.4 percentage points from the previous election.

“Germany and the EU have global influence, and China is pleased to see Germany and the EU play an important role in global affairs,” said the spokesman Lin in Beijing.

“China supports European integration and the strategic autonomy of the EU, and is willing to work together with Germany and the EU to continue contributing to world peace and prosperity.”