Chinese and Ukrainian researchers held a roundtable discussion here Thursday on the two countries' cooperation in science and technology.

The event brought together representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) and the Guangdong Academy of Sciences (GDAS) in southern China.

Anatoly Zagorodny, vice president of the NASU, said at the event that the Ukrainian academy attaches great importance to its scientific cooperation with China.

"The NASU works closely with 120 research institutions from 50 countries, and cooperation with China is one of our priorities," Zagorodny told Xinhua.

The NASU has established partnerships with research institutions in 12 Chinese provinces, Zagorodny said, adding that the creation of the China-Ukraine E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute (CUPIW) in Guangdong Province is a milestone in such cooperation.

Founded in 2011, the CUPIW has played an important role in the development of new technologies in China and in Ukraine, Zagorodny said.

Speaking about the prospects for future cooperation, Zagorodny said that the NASU and the GDAS plan to establish another joint Sino-Ukrainian scientific institution in Guangdong Province -- the Science and Technology Innovation Center.

The creation of the center would help the two sides develop cooperation in such areas as materials science, medicine, biology, chemistry and physics, Zagorodny said.

For his part, Liao Bing, president of the GDAS, said that the planned innovation center would become a new model of scientific cooperation between China and Ukraine.

"This project will be implemented in the form of a company for the development of new technologies. The main goal of the innovation center is to allow Chinese and Ukrainian scientists to choose projects for implementation," Liao said.

The delegation of Chinese researchers led by the president of the GDAS arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday.

During its trip, the delegation will visit several scientific and research institutions in Kiev and in Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv. (Xinhua)