On the morning of June 1, 2017 local time, Premier Li Keqiang and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany jointly attended the “China-Germany Forum--Co-shape Innovation” and delivered speeches in Berlin.

Li Keqiang expressed that three years ago, the two countries issued the Action Outline for China-Germany Cooperation themed “Co-shape Innovation”. Over the past three years, relevant departments of both sides respectively launched China Strategy and Germany Strategy, which set a precedent for scientific and technological cooperation between major countries. Solid steps have been taken in the alignment between “Made in China 2025” and Germany's “Industry 4.0”, trilateral cooperation, and the “2+2” cooperation model of scientific research institutions and enterprises. Distinctive China-Germany industrial parks have enjoyed robust development. China and Germany are a golden pair in innovation cooperation with highly complementary innovation resources endowment. The potent innovative partnership has put a high-powered engine to China-Germany practical cooperation, which can be regarded as a model of cooperation between developing country and developed country and plays a leading role in China-EU innovation cooperation.

Li Keqiang pointed out that President Xi Jinping will visit Germany and attend the G20 Hamburg Summit next month. China is willing to, together with Germany, forge a closer innovative partnership, enhance strategic guidance, maintain close high-level contacts, consolidate political mutual trust, speed up the synergy and alignment between development strategies and initiatives of the two countries, push for more demonstrative programs, share significant development opportunities and jointly address global challenges. Both sides should highlight market orientation, make innovation in commercial development mode, accelerate applied research and technology transformation, strengthen cooperation in technology research and development as well as manufacturing, and propel mutual recognition of standard, better adapt to the needs of consumption upgrading and industrial upgrading, and jointly exploit third-party markets. China is willing to learn from Germany’s experience in fundamental research, and encourage universities and scientific research institutions of both sides to deepen cooperation, so as to create a batch of heavyweight research achievements in cutting-edge areas.

Li Keqiang stressed that both sides should push large enterprises as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for integration and innovation. With numerous of “hidden champions” enterprises in Germany and hundreds of thousands of technology-based SMEs in China, mass entrepreneurship and innovation are booming vigorously. China is willing to, together with Germany, establish a governmental-level mechanism to serve cooperation between SMEs, push forward the network-type and cluster cooperation, build more service platforms for integration and innovation to provide all-round service, speed up the construction of various kinds of bilateral industry cluster districts, and forge a batch of demonstration bases. As active participants of economic globalization, China and Germany should create a free and open environment for trade and investment, promote two-way opening up and equality, and create a more convenient and fair environment for bilateral innovation cooperation. Both sides should improve policy support system, integrate resources, perfect mechanisms, increase input, and support all innovators of both countries in jointly establishing alliances on intelligent manufacturing, scientific and technological innovation and vocational education cooperation. Li Keqiang encouraged overseas students and young scientists of both countries to enhance exchanges, advance the implementation of the internship exchange program, and well hold the first innovation and entrepreneurship week for youth from China and Germany. China strictly protects the intellectual property rights of enterprises in bilateral innovation cooperation and does not require mandatory technology transfer. The Chinese side welcomes German enterprises to explore China's new energy vehicles markets.

Li Keqiang briefed China’s current economic situation and expressed that since the beginning of this year, China’s economy has enjoyed a good momentum of positive growth with improvement in the benefits of economic growth, stable increase of employment, and traditional drivers coming into life during its transformation. New technologies, new industries, new business patterns and new formats have been flourishing. Important progress has been made in supply-side structural reform. The Chinese government has made innovation in macro-control measures, administrative management modes and open economic systems, and realized stable growth, structural adjustment and risk resistance though reform and innovation. The Chinese government also actively implements a new round of opening-up at a higher level to boost development through opening-up and create fertile lands of investment with competitiveness and attractiveness.

Angela Merkel expressed that innovation-oriented economy is of great economic and social significance. Enjoying highly-interwoven interests, both Germany and China advocate free trade and open economy. Bilateral trade volume reached 170 billion EURO last year, making China the largest trade partner of Germany. The two-way investment of the two countries has been growing unceasingly. Appreciating China for constantly easing fair market access and earnestly protecting intellectual property rights, the German side stands ready to, together with China, forge innovation policy platform, align innovation and high-tech development strategies, strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in major fields between large enterprises and SMEs, deepen cooperation in higher teaching institutions and vocational education, advance mutual recognition of academic credentials between the two countries, and facilitate more applied programs directly participated by enterprises, in a bid to expand social involvement of bilateral innovative partnership. It is believed that the two countries could work together to better address common challenges and promote common development.

Over 500 people from enterprises, technical and academic communities of both countries attended the forum.

Wan Gang, Zhou Xiaochuan and others attended the above activity.