(Beijing) – Johanna Wanka, Germany's minister for education and research, is often compared to Angela Merkel, the country's chancellor.

The two female leaders both attended the University of Leipzig, one of the world's oldest institutions of higher learning. They are also among the 10 of 16 German cabinet members with a doctoral degree in the sciences.

Wanka rose to the top education job in 2013 after a plagiarism scandal led to the downfall of her predecessor, Annette Schavan. In her ministerial capacity, she is committed to developing innovation, as well as "high-tech strategy" for equal opportunities in education.

In Germany she is seen as a pragmatic politician, with plenty of experience in education. Having been a professor of mathematics at the Brandenberg University of Applied Research and Technology, she knows one or two things about academia.

Her advice for a flourishing science ecosystem, something China wants to develop, is "innovation can only develop in a system that thrives on the interaction between science, academia, industry and civil society."

"The state's role above all is to be an enabler and driver of this interaction," she said in response to questions Caixin sent to her via email, before her first official visit to China on January 19.

In October, Wanka has announced a "China strategy" for cooperation in science and research. "Germany and China are equal and strategic partners in driving research and innovation for the benefit of both countries," she said.

One aim of that cooperation is to build on existing joint projects on issues related to the environment. "Opening up the Chinese market for German companies and to tap into new markets" is another, she said.

The following are excerpts from her replies.

Caixin: What are you hoping to achieve in your visit to China?

Johanna Wanka: Sino-German research cooperation is almost as old as our diplomatic relations. In 1974, the Max-Planck Society, an association of research institutes, established a permanent partnership. In 1978, our governments signed an agreement on bilateral scientific technical cooperation. Today, in a globalized and knowledge-driven world, cooperation with a rising China is more important than ever.

I will be signing two joint declarations together with the science minister, Wan Gang. One in the field of intelligent manufacturing and smart services, the other on joint procedures for research and innovation funding. I will also have the honor of awarding an Order of Merit to minister Wan for his services to academic and industrial research cooperation with Germany.

Then, I will visit the Zhongguancun High-Tech Park, which is widely known as China's Silicon Valley. I will also be speaking with the minister of education Yuan Guiren in Beijing on higher education, student exchanges and vocational education, as well as opening the second Sino-German conference on vocational education and training in Shanghai.

In October, you announced a strategy for cooperating with China in science and research. For Germany it is the first state-level strategy in this field that involves another country. Why did you pick China?

China is indeed the first detailed country strategy drawn up by my ministry. Germany and China are equal and strategic partners in driving research and innovation for the benefit of both countries, with joint projects in important fields such as water, climate, environment, sustainability, innovation research, life sciences and electric mobility. The China strategy is meant to build on and expand this trend. We also want to use our cooperation with China to strengthen Germany as a location for research and innovation, to open up the Chinese market for German companies and to tap into new markets together with China.

What can we expect from the China strategy in 2016?

There already exist 35 measures and nine activity fields in the Strategy, and we will intensify core elements such as cooperation in higher education. Measures to create a broader China expertise in Germany will include the funding of longer study and research stays in China and lasting alumni work.

We will continue cooperation on research addressing global ecological challenges in key areas such as clean water and urbanization. We want to establish more of the so-called 2+2 schemes, meaning joint research projects involving at least one German and one Chinese research institution or university, as well as at least one German and one Chinese company from the private sector.

If companies participate, joint research can be more applicable and innovative. It will help to put into practice the aims of Industry 4.0 (a strategy of the German government to, in part, develop smart factories) and Made in China 2025 (a plan by the State Council to upgrade manufacturers in China).

Are there any lessons China can draw from Germany in attracting talented scholars to research institutes and universities?

The question of whether talented people decide to work in science or research also depends on how attractive the science system is overall. This depends on how well funded it is, as well as on whether there are the legal framework and the possibilities for dynamic development and attractive career opportunities. There has been a significant increase in funding for the science system in Germany over the past 10 years in order to improve the capacity for innovation, allow for better targeted academic teaching and push for excellence in academic performance. This has created a momentum that has made the German science system increasingly attractive for top scientists and researchers from Germany and abroad. We are also working on expanding tenure track professorships in order to make academic career paths more attractive.

Germany is one of the most popular destinations for Chinese students to acquire advanced degrees. What's the German government's position on foreign students seeking employment after graduation?

International students do have good job prospects in Germany, and especially those who have gained their degree here. This has been confirmed by the OECD. The German government is working on how we can improve conditions further because it is important that the German science system has a stable network of graduate contacts around the world. German industry also benefits in its activities abroad from people who have previously studied in Germany. Our demographic trend is causing a skills shortage to increase while the German export industry depends on graduates with international experience and intercultural skills.

What can Germany share with China in terms of Industry 4.0?

For linking Industry 4.0 and Made in China 2025, our cooperation requires right from the beginning the creation of joint framework conditions such as the necessary standardization requirements. The aim of all the participating partners from industry and research is to create collaborations based on trust with a high level of transparency. I am delighted that during my visit I will be signing a declaration together with minister Wan to enable joint research and development activities on concrete topics such as logistics, systems integration and networking as well as energy and resource efficiency. Smart services and cyber-physical systems are also areas in which China and Germany can cooperate.

What do you think is the government's role in innovation?

It is the German government's conviction that innovation can only develop in a system that thrives on the interaction between science, academia, industry and civil society. The state's role above all is to be an enabler and driver of this interaction. We also pay attention to the whole innovation chain, from the creative idea to its implementation in new products and services. The state makes a clear commitment to public basic research across the board as well as to targeted project funding in applied research. We fund effective instruments to promote lively exchange between science, academia, industry and civil society – commercial companies must be driven by knowledge and innovation while universities should also regard the principle of commercial exploitation as a relevant part of their mission; we create innovation-friendly conditions for all stakeholders, whether for skilled labor, providers of venture capital or for the interested general public. In this way we can develop a fully coordinated policy that enables smart growth, good jobs and social prosperity.

Are there any measures to provide education and language training for the children and younger members of refugees who are seeking asylum in Germany?

The federal government is providing considerable amounts of funding to help the education of young refugees. Top priority is given to learning the German language, as well as German social values and norms. We are making integration classes available for asylum seekers and people with good prospects of being allowed to remain in Germany, We are also expanding vocational language courses and launching programs to support training for recognized refugees and people with tolerated residence status after a waiting period of 15 months. The government is also helping the federal states, which in the German federal system have responsibility for most areas of education. We will be investing at least 230 million euros towards this over the coming years.

You called for classrooms nationwide to use Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, with the first critically annotated edition of the book out already, which has sparked a fierce debate. What is your thinking behind this?

I want to support critical appraisal. The copyright on this miserable tome expired at the end of 2015, is now available to be read. School students will therefore have questions about it and it is right that they ask them and are able to talk about it at school. This makes the critically annotated edition published by the German Institute of Contemporary History absolutely appropriate. It can make a contribution to political education and in view of this has been written in a way that is accessible to all readers. I very much welcome the fact that a broad public now has an excellent contextualized version it can consult and that Hitler's statements are not left unchallenged.