Feature: Innovation -- key word at China forum in Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin

It all began with a slow but elegant pipa solo. The music gradually picked up momentum, joined later by rhythmic drums, and finally evolved into a joyful night of celebration involving young dancing girls and fellows.

Two musicians -- one from China and another from Germany -- gave a joint performance of Chinese classic music here on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the China forum at the Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin.

The 11th Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin, running from May 23 to June 3, is an annual event sponsored by the Berlin municipal government to promote business, scientific and cultural exchanges between Europe and Asia-Pacific countries. The theme this year is Asia-Europe Innovation Dialogue.

The China forum, part of the Embassy Day program of the two-week event, is a seminar focused on Chinese efforts to pursue development and growth through innovation.

"Innovation is the basis and fountainhead of growth," Wang Weidong, the commercial counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Germany, said in a keynote speech at the forum.

"China boasts a population of 1.3 billion and her huge potential market is an important catalyst for innovation," he said.

According to the counsellor, German businessmen had invested about 26 billion U.S. dollars in over 9,000 projects in China up to the end of February this year. Meanwhile, direct investment by Chinese businesses in Germany has amounted to about 7 billion dollars, 3 billion of which was carried out early this year alone.

"This, by all means, represents a phenomenal growth of Chinese FDI in Germany," Wang said.

"Innovation means win-win cooperation instead of war, protectionism and xenophobia," the Chinese counsellor said.

As the legendary Silk Road had facilitated trade and exchanges between the East and West in ancient times, the trans-Eurasia railroad has become a new Silk Road which provides huge opportunities for China-Europe trade relationship and offers a cost-effective alternative to sea and air routes in term of transportation, he added.

The forum was also addressed by Torsten Kupper, vice president and director of Corporate & Public Affairs Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.; Lei Xianzhang, director general of European Representative Office of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC); and Cai Zhengxin, president of Chinese Business Chamber in Germany.

All the presentations were focused on indigenous innovations and their contributions to local development and employment as well as Chinese-German cooperation as a whole.

Cai, also a senior manager of Preh Inc. founded in 1919, explained how the German company becomes a global market leader in car HMI (human machine interface) systems and automation technologies through innovations with help from its Chinese partner, Joyson Electrics.

Joyson Electrics, a listed Chinese company based in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province of China, entered a joint venture with Preh Inc. in 2010.

"We've not been here with 'a copy machine' anyway," said Cai, referring to earlier German media reports that Joyson may seek to copycat German technologies through the joint venture with Preh.

The remarks immediately triggered an outburst of laughter among the 100-member-strong audience representing Chinese and German businesses. Endi