Vice-Premier Liu Yandong calls for more cooperation with Germany when she visited on Thursday Hamburg-based German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) and the European x-ray free electron laser (European XFEL), a research laser facility scheduled to start operating in 2017. (Fu Jing/chinadaily.com.cn)
Vice-Premier Liu Yandong majored in chemistry when she studied in the Beijing-based Tsinghua University decades ago and, as she recalled on Thursday, the first woman Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie was her example. She had also been fascinated by dazzling chemical changes and even wanted to film such processes, if possible.
After visiting an underground high-tech research facility in Hamburg on Thursday, Liu said her job, in her capacity as vice-premier now, has shifted to trigger "social chemistry."
"Chemistry is so important in dealing with relations between countries and people," said Liu, using her memory of early years to refer to the sound cooperation in science and technology between China and Germany.
"China will continuously maintain such momentum to boost personnel exchanges with Germany, a scientific power."
She said China now invests 2.1 percent of its economic output into research and development in science and technology to achieve its goal of becoming a power of science and innovation as well.
"And one of the priorities is to boost international cooperation," said Liu, who is on her three-day visit to Germany to boost bilateral cooperation in science, technology, education, culture and sports.
