German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing on October 29. Professor HE Hongping, Vice President of CAS accompanied the visit.

Steinmeier received a briefing on recent developments at CAS and on progress at the MAC-Air Center (Max Planck-Asia Center for Unravelling the Nexus of Air Pollution, Extreme Weather, and Monsoon in a Warming Climate: Pathways to Global Solutions), an international research center on atmospheric challenges in a warming climate. He also visited the mobile command platform for targeted atmospheric-environment observations and toured IAP’s 325-meter meteorological observation tower.

"China's development has attracted attention around the world, and its achievements in science and technological innovation are impressive. Climate change is one of the most pressing shared challenges of our time. Only by working together can we meet this challenge, and Germany is ready to continue working with China as a strong partner," said Steinmeier.

Built in 1979, the 325-meter tower has been in operation for nearly five decades as a comprehensive urban meteorological and environmental observation platform. Its five all-weather observation systems collect measurements of meteorological conditions, turbulent fluxes, atmospheric pollutants and particulate matter at multiple heights.

Data from the tower support research on boundary-layer processes, aerosols, urban air pollution, carbon fluxes and lightning detection. The platform also shares real-time data with the China Meteorological Administration and relevant authorities in Beijing, contributing to weather services, air-quality research and environmental monitoring.

The visit was attended by more than 80 participants, including Steinmeier's wife, the German ambassador to China, the presidents of the Max Planck Society and the German National Academy of Sciences, and representatives from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CAS-affiliated institutes, and German students at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.