China and Germany face numerous joint challenges including climate change and digital transformation of the economy. There is huge potential in bilateral research and development cooperation, top officials from both countries said on Wednesday.

"The science and technology cooperation between China and Germany has a solid foundation, and huge potential in the future," said Chinese Science and Technology Minister Wan Gang in Berlin.

He told an audience at the 4th Sino-German Innovation Conference that innovation played a crucial role in both countries' economic growth. As Germany's biggest trading partner in Asia, China attracted more than half of innovative German companies to set up R&D centers in its territory.

Scientists and researchers from both countries are also cooperating in projects of clean energy, e-mobility, smart manufacturing and other future science.

Wan said he hoped the cooperation could be enhanced. Both governments should continue supporting firms and institutes in bilateral communication and joint research.

A joint exploration of a third market by Chinese and German enterprises via innovation cooperation should be encouraged, he added.

"China is a vigorous location of innovation, so is Germany," said Georg Schuette, a deputy minister at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, "We admire each other's innovative capacity in high-tech areas."

He suggested that both countries should build innovation-friendly policy frameworks and strengthen cooperation in smart manufacturing, green technologies as well as basic science research.

He said the German government would also work with China to make youth communication and exchanges more convenient. (Xinhua)