(Beijing, November 18) To promote sports and cultural exchanges between China and Germany, a Sino-German Sports Seminar opened at Beijing Sport University on November 16, 2009. Before the opening ceremony Cui Dalin, vice minister in charge of the General Administration of Sport of China, met with Dr. Christoph Bergner, German Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and head of the German delegation to the seminar.

Cui expressed his thanks to friends of the German sports circles for their support and help during Beijing's bid and preparation for and hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games. Since 1972 when China established the diplomatic relations with Germany, he noted, the two peoples have got to know each other better and better and the cooperation and exchanges have been gradually expanded to such fields of politics, economy, culture and science and technology, and this has in turn helped lay a good foundation for further bilateral exchanges in sports.

Over the years China has attached great importance to strenghening ties with Germany and Germany has now become one of the European countries that have the most frequent sports exchanges with China. In 2007 Liu Peng, Minister in charge of the GASC, visited Germany; and in April 2008 President Thomas Bach of the Germany Olympic Committee came to China to attend the XVI General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC). In 2008, Liu Peng and Wolfgang Schäuble, German Federal Minister of the Interior, signed the Letter of Intent on Sino-German Sports Cooperation, which has become an important milestone in sports histories of both countries.

Dr. Christoph Bergner congratulated his host on China's successful hosting of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games. To implement the above-mentioned Letter of Intent, he added, Germany proposed that sports seminars be hosted in the coming two years in both countries with China starting the ball rolling. This year's seminar, scheduled for November 16-18, will focus on sports scientific research and sports law, with the participation of coaches and experts from Beijing Sport University, National Research Institute of Sports Medicine and a numbe of German universities. The seminars are believed to be a platform for the experts to exchange information and share experience so as to help further promote sports development in both countries.

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