China and Germany differ significantly in their economic, social, and political contexts, each embracing distinct political systems for forest-related nature conservation. We ask whether the differences and competition in policy forces also scientific research to separate or whether there exists a common ground for joint policy research in both countries. The expectation is that if the comparison can identify specific scientific explanations for the policy process, which works in both countries, these similarities would provide a solid basis for common research despite competitive policies. The comparison focuses on middle-range theories in the analysis and empirical evidence of six cases of forest-related nature conservation policy in China and Germany. The results reveal a plethora of identical political processes in the forest-related nature conservation policies in both countries. These processes range from the identical formulation of stronger ecological goals and informal dominance of interest-driven actors in implementation to the same elements of political power driving the solutions on the ground in the forest. The comparison indicates a sufficient common ground for joint research in forest-related nature conservation policy in China and Germany. Our conclusion demonstrates, based on the R(esearch) - I(ntegration) - U(tilization) model, how such cooperation is possible despite competitive and conflicting political systems. Such a cooperation would be fruitful for addressing science-based the overarching challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss for resilient forest ecosystems.