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BEIJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel said here on Sunday that her country stands ready to have closer cooperation with China in hosting the G20 summit and in peacekeeping in Mali.
The pledge came as Merkel started her ninth trip to China since she took office in 2005.
Delivering a speech in the university of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, she said that Germany will be working closely with China, the host of this year's G20 summit, on the ambitious goals and rich agenda for the event.
Germany will host the 2017 G20 summit.
Germany welcomes China's bigger role in international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Merkel said, adding that China should also accept responsibilities in proportion to its economic power.
She proposed that the two countries deepen cooperation in crisis management, such as disaster relief in Afghanistan and peacekeeping in Mali.
"We are especially willing to cooperate with China in Mali where Germany has our own footprints," she said.
On June 1, a Chinese member of a United Nations mission in the western African country was killed and four others were injured in an attack.
On Sunday, Merkel received an honorary doctorate in Beijing from Nanjing University, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country.
During her three-day trip, the German leader is scheduled to co-chair a bilateral consultation with Chinese leader.
The China-Germany intergovernmental consultation, established in 2011, is a dialogue mechanism aimed at coordinating and enhancing cooperation between the two countries. More than 20 ministers and vice ministers from both sides are expected to attend this year's session.
The relationship between China and Germany, the world's second and fourth largest economies, has witnessed a rapid development with frequent high-level exchanges.In March, German President Joachim Gauck visited China, strengthening political mutual trust.
China has said that a closer bilateral coordination in both global and regional affairs are expected to serve the fundamental interests of both countries and benefit the China-EU relations and promote peace and prosperity in the world at large.
Merkel will also visit Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province.
