In the context of the fourth German-Chinese intergovernmental consultations, Parliamentary State Secretary Gabriele Lösekrug-Möller met with China's Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Yin Weimin and Vice Minister Kong Changsheng on 13 June 2016 in Beijing. They discussed current developments in the employment and social policies of both countries as well as multilateral cooperation, particularly in the G20 context.
Parliamentary State Secretary Lösekrug-Möller said that in recent years the mutual exchange had grown. I am very pleased that we are taking the consultations as an opportunity to expand our cooperation, in particular on the issue of the future of work. Long-term trends such as demographic and societal changes, globalisation, the expansion of the knowledge society, as well as computerisation and automation are having an increasing impact on the world of work
, she said.
In the presence of the heads of government, they also signed a declaration of intent on enhancing cooperation between the two ministries in the field of the future of work, which complements an agreement in place since 2012. The talks were also marked by the transfer of the G20 presidency from China to Germany.
Parliamentary State Secretary Lösekrug-Möller also used her visit to the country to meet with other experts to find out about the latest developments in social policy in China. Against the backdrop of weakening economic growth and demographic change, Professor Zheng Gongsheng from the Renmin University of China, which was involved in the social insurance legislation introduced in China in 2011, stressed the major challenges facing the People's Republic. He said that Germany was playing an exemplary role in this area on the basis of the experience gained in the development of social security systems.