On July 9, 2018, Wang Zhigang, Minister and Secretary of CPC Leading Group of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), accompanied Premier Li Keqiang on his visit to Germany and attended the fifth round of China-Germany Inter-governmental Consultation in Berlin. Under the witness of Premier Li Keqiang and Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister Wang Zhigang and the German Federal Minister of Education (BMBF) and Research Anja Karliczek signed the Joint Statement between MOST and BMBF on the Intent of Cooperation in Intelligent Manufacturing Technologies and the Joint Statement on the Intent of Cooperation in Promoting Climate Change Research.

The two sides agreed to jointly set up a China-Germany network on intelligent manufacturing technology, promote intensive cooperation among enterprises, universities and research institutes, establish a communication channel for optimizing the allocation of resources, and provide support for the conversion of knowledge, technology and cooperation achievements into industrial applications. In the field of climate change, the two sides will explore the areas of converging interests and encourage joint research efforts of the two countries in the areas of climate change adaptation, extreme weather forecast and response, climate prediction, and climate change in the polar regions (Antarctic, Arctic, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau).

Established in 2010, the mechanism of China-Germany inter-governmental consultation is the highest-level, largest and most extensive dialogue and exchange platform between the two countries. Having played an important role in planning and coordinating China-Germany pragmatic cooperation, it is often called the “super engine” of China-Germany relations.