Interview: German business leader says China is reliable partner in crisis

China intensifies cooperation with its European partners while some other countries retreated to trade protectionism, it proves that China is a reliable partner in global financial crisis, said a German business leader Wednesday.

Under the background of global financial crisis, China still sent procurement team to Germany to buy over 10 billion U.S. dollars of goods, China is thus a reliable partner in crisis, said Juergen Heraeus, Chairman of the China Council of Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business.

Earlier on Wednesday, over 200 Chinese business representatives met their German counterparts in the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business in Berlin, and signed a total of 37 deals worth over 10 billion U.S. dollars.

We are very pleased to receive the Chinese delegation. It is exciting that China sent such a huge delegation to boost trade and investment -- China has sent a positive signal, Heraeus told Xinhua.

While in Europe, all countries are thinking about using taxpayers' money for national measures to boost consumption or to support distressed banks, China is intensifying cooperation with its European partners, said Heraeus, who helped arrange the procurement trip for Chinese companies.

Heraeus warned against trade protectionism that is on the rise recently, saying a certain country is attempting to encourage its citizens to buy their own goods, and that is dangerous.

According to Heraeus, over 100 German companies participated in Wednesday's business forum and many of them have good cooperation with Chinese companies or have invested in China.

Heraeus encouraged Chinese companies to invest in Germany. "Germany is an open market, and its policy is clear," he said, adding that Chinese enterprises are allowed to hold shares in up to 96 percent of German firms.

Source: Xinhua