German President Steinmeier highlights climate cooperation during visit to Chinese Academy of Sciences

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing on Thursday, highlighting the importance of China-Germany cooperation in addressing climate change and advancing scientific innovation.

Accompanied by He Hongping, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Steinmeier learned about the academy's recent developments and received a briefing on the progress of the Max Planck – Asia Center for unraveling the nexus of air pollution, extreme weather, and monsoons in a warming climate.

He also visited a mobile command platform for targeted atmospheric environmental observations and toured the institute's 325-meter meteorological observation tower.

Steinmeier said China's development has attracted worldwide attention and that the country's achievements in scientific and technological innovation were impressive.

Climate change is one of the most serious shared challenges of the time, he said, adding that countries can address it only through joint efforts. Germany is willing to continue being a strong partner to China, he added.

The visit was part of Steinmeier's state visit to China. More than 80 people attended the event, including the German president's wife and several German students at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Kevin Koske, one of the students, said meeting Steinmeier was an experience he would not soon forget.

"It's an honor to actually meet the president," Koske said. "It was my first time, especially here in China. I think it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I won't forget so soon."

Koske said he hoped China and Germany would deepen their cooperation and build a shared future, particularly by combining their strengths in innovation and engineering.

"We see how developed China is also with innovation, and we also know German engineering (is widely recognized)," he said. "I think if they combine their forces, they can achieve a lot."