China and Germany agreed on Wednesday to work toward mutual recognition of vaccination as part of broader steps to facilitate the exchanges in personnel and ensure the security and stability of global industry and supply chains.

Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reached consensuses on the decision as they met with business leaders attending the 10th Chinese-German Forum for Economic and Technological Cooperation via video link.

Li expressed his hope that the two sides can step up cooperation in fighting the COVID-19 and better facilitate bilateral personal exchanges by putting in place strict epidemic containment measures.

He noted that trade and economic cooperation between the two sides kept deepening, with bilateral trading volume up by 41.5 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, indicating fully the high level and huge potential of Sino-German cooperation.

He commended the over 7000 German businesses in China and the over 2,000 Chinese businesses in Germany for acting as the powerhouse of bilateral cooperation.

China will remain committed to fostering a market-oriented and internationalized business environment that is governed by a sound legal framework, and the nation will level the playing field for both domestic and foreign businesses, he said.

Merkel said she hopes that the two nations can keep securing new progress on top of the already close cooperation in the manufacturing sector.

Berlin is willing to maintain dialogue with Beijing over widening of market access to each other and promoting the early implementation of the EU-China Comprehensive Investment Agreement, she said.

She emphasized the importance for both sides to step up cooperation on vaccination and ensure the normal personal exchanges of various sectors, especially in the business sector.