At the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA), Mr. Gerhard Schroeder, former Chancellor of Germany, visited China from 17 to 23 June 2011. In Chongqing, Mr. Schroeder addressed the opening ceremony of Liangjiang Forum. Mr. Bo Xilai, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, met with Mr. Schroeder on the sidelines of the Forum. Mr. Bo elaborated China's Go West Strategy and the economic and social development strategy of Chongqing. In Shanghai, Mr. Schroeder shared his views on European sovereign debt crisis and prospects of European integration with scholars of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS). Mr. Schroeder said that the current debt crisis in Europe is in reality a political crisis. The fundamental solution to the crisis lies in setting up a mechanism of economic governance with coordinated economic, financial and social policies among all EU members. European integration should aim at building a real political union that culminates in a "European Federation".