German President Steinmeier visits MAC-AIR Center in Beijing
Steinmeier was informed about the recent developments at CAS and the progress at the MAC-AIR Centre.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier traveled to the People’s Republic of China for a state visit from October 26 to 31, 2026. The State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Extreme Meteorology (AEEM) at Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) was one of the places he visited in Beijing. He was accompanied on the visit by Hongping He, Vice President of the CAS, and Patrick Cramer, President of the Max Planck Society.
During his tour, Federal President Steinmeier also met with Yafang Cheng, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz. She briefed him on the progress of the MAC-AIR Center, which opened earlier this year in collaboration with the CAS. The “Max Planck Asia Center for Research on the Relationship Between Air Pollution, Extreme Weather, and the Monsoon in a Warming Climate: Pathways to Global Solutions,” or MAC-AIR for short, investigates the interactions between aerosols, solar radiation, and clouds in the densely populated Monsoon influenced regions to lay the groundwork for more effective measures against air pollution and climate change, as well as for more reliable forecasts of extreme weather.
Accompanied by Hang Su, Director of AEEM, the Federal President also toured the IAP’s 325-meter-high meteorological observation tower. Since 1979, the tower has been watching the atmosphere of Beijing. Originally, it focused on meteorology, and turbulence, and later was extended to measure fluxes and atmospheric compositions. By linking such urban towers with Amazon Tall Tower Observatory, the researchers can compare how very different Earth-system environments, from megacities to pristine forests, exchange energy, water, trace gases and particles with the atmosphere.
More than 80 participants took part in the visit, including Steinmeier’s wife, Elke Büdenbender; the German ambassador to China; the presidents of the Max Planck Society and the German Academy of Sciences; as well as representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and German students at the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Further information on the Federal President’s trip to China:
https://www.bundespraesident.de/SharedDocs/Berichte/EN/Frank-Walter-Steinmeier/2026/261026-31-statevisit-china.html
Link to MAC-AIR Center:
https://www.mpg.de/26414864/max-planck-asia-center-for-unraveling-the-nexus-of-air-pollution-extreme-weather-and-monsoon-in-a-warming-climate-pathways-to-global-solutions-peking-china
https://www.mpg.de/26373030/two-new-max-planck-centers-strengthen-the-research-partnership-with-china
Link to CAS: https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/news-updates/202610/t20261030_1212995.shtml
Press release from the Chinese Academy of Sciences with additions and edits by the MPI for Chemistry