BEIJING - China is considering "involving itself more deeply into" the efforts to address Europe's debt issue through channels like the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Thursday.

Wen made the remarks at a joint media briefing after talks with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel arrived in Beijing Thursday morning, starting a three-day official visit to China.

The Chinese premier said it is "very urgent and important" to solve the European debt crisis and China attaches great importance to the issue from a strategic perspective as the global economic situation remains grim.

Since the European Union is the world's largest economy and China's largest trading partner, the bloc's financial stability, economic growth and integration not only affect Europe's fate and future, but also that of China and the world, he said.

Wen said that Europeans' own efforts play a vital and fundamental role in resolving the crisis, which also calls for efforts by other parties of the international community.

He called on the European Union to keep pushing ahead with financial reforms to put forward a consistent and clear-cut solution toward the international community.

The European Union, as a whole entity, should continually push forward systematic, structural and fundamental reforms in the fiscal and financial aspects in addition to adopting emergency bailout measures, said the premier.

"The EU should feed the international community with more uniform and defined ideas to solve the problem," he said.

China upholds that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other major international financial institutions should play an important role in addressing the debt crisis, Wen said, adding that China is willing to coordinate with all parties concerned to forge effective countermeasures.

"The Chinese side supports efforts to maintain the stability of the euro and the euro zone," Wen said, noting China is "firmly" confident in the European economy and will not change its view that Europe is a major pillar of the world economy.

Chinese authorities are studying and assessing joining the efforts more proactively to resolve Europe's debt issue by financing the IMF and through the EFSF, the ESM and other channels, Wen said. China is willing to enhance its communication with Germany via the existing bilateral mechanism of financial cooperation.

Wen said he hopes the European side will create positive environments for China-Europe cooperation to address the European debt issue and offer suitable investment portfolios.

The long-term solution to the ongoing crisis lies in strong and sustainable growth of the economy, he said, urging Europeans to stand with China against all sorts of protectionism, expand mutual investment and enhance cooperation between China and Europe in high-tech and emerging sectors.

Bilateral relations 

Wen and Merkel agreed that bilateral relations have achieved tremendous progress since the two countries established diplomatic ties 40 years ago.

Both sides agreed to maintain high-level contacts and arrange a series of large-scale economic and cultural exchange activities for 2012.

Wen said under the current complicated international and regional situation, China and Germany need to strengthen strategic cooperation from a long-term perspective.

The two countries should strengthen communication and coordination on major regional issues to jointly maintain world peace and stability, and cooperate more efficiently on global challenges such as climate change, non-traditional security threats, energy and food security issues, he said.

Merkel said Germany is willing to strengthen communication and dialogue with China to enhance mutual understanding, carry out cooperation at higher levels and in broader fields, and play a positive role in promoting Europe-China relations.

Germany welcomes Chinese companies to increase investment in Germany and will open its market wider to China, Merkel said. Europe thanks China for its support and Germany is willing to enhance communication and coordination with China.

Merkel also delivered a speech at Beijing-based thinktank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and visited Nanluoguxiang, an old Beijing style alleyway with a history of over 800 years in the city's downtown.