BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Innovation is playing a role more essential than ever in mankind's future, and it should be a joint undertaking of the world.

Addressing the ongoing Osaka G20 summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on the Group of 20 major economies to promote international innovation cooperation.

G20, which accounts for some 80 percent of global trade and about 85 percent of global GDP, has been a major platform for working out multilateral solutions for many of the world's pressing challenges.

While innovation tends to be an answer to many of the challenges the world is facing, it cannot benefit human unless by means of sharing and cooperation across different nations.

This spirit of sharing can be found in many projects under cooperation between China and other countries.

The United Nations and China, for example, announced earlier this month the selection of nine international scientific experiments to be performed aboard the China Space Station. They involve 23 entities from 17 countries including France, Kenya, Mexico and Peru.

The move is hailed as heralding openness and inclusiveness in international space cooperation.

Having received 50 contracts on 5G commercial services from 30 countries and regions, China's telecom equipment provider Huawei has shipped more than 150,000 5G base stations worldwide. The company has promised to continue sharing the 5G technology with the world.

The Republic of Congo, Pakistan, India and Nigeria have expressed strong interest in China's research and development of saline soil rice, an innovative technology expected to help increase rice output and boost food security. To meet demand, China is planning to build saline-alkali tolerant rice research and promotion centers in the Middle East and Africa.

G20 major economies should move beyond border limitation and man-made fences, pool global wisdom to tackle common problems, and broadly apply innovation outcomes to benefit more countries and peoples.