More than 300 political, business, and academic figures from China and the United Kingdom attended the Fifth China-UK Economic and Trade Forum on Wednesday, where they shared insights on Sino-British cooperation.
The forum was held offline for the first time since the novel coronavirus pandemic struck in 2020, with experts discussing regional development strategies and opportunities across the UK and the joint actions of China and Britain in achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
Zheng Zeguang, China's ambassador to the UK, gave a comprehensive overview of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, highlighting the significance of the congress to the bilateral relations.
"What does the 20th National Congress mean for China's relations with Europe and the UK? I would say: it means new opportunities and new energy," Zheng said.
Against the backdrop of global instability and uncertainty, China and Europe should uphold dialogue and cooperation and oppose division and confrontation, he said.
"We should strive for mutual benefits and reject decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains," he said, adding that he expects the upcoming high-level visits to Beijing by some European leaders to provide more positive energy for the world.
"The business communities of both countries have been an important and reliable positive force in China-UK relations; I hope that you will take this forum as an opportunity to contribute your insight and strength to stronger practical cooperation in business and other areas between our two countries," Zheng said.
Fang Wenjian, chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, organizer of the forum, said that based on the chamber's latest survey, Chinese companies in the UK appeared to be recovering well from the challenges of the pandemic, as 74 percent of the companies reported stable to growing revenues in 2021, compared with the previous year, and 73 percent of the respondents have reinvested all or majority of their profits back into the UK economy.
"I'm immensely proud of the efforts we have made to promote our relationship, which is highly complementary and mutually beneficial, and we place a high value on continuing to foster closer ties between our two great nations."
Sherard Cowper-Coles, chairman of the China-Britain Business Council, echoed Zheng on the important role of practical business cooperation in the two countries' common goals and common interests, and in dispelling the groundless accusations that undermine healthy bilateral ties.
"When our transatlantic friends worry about their intellectual property being stolen, they should go to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing and see how so many of the technologies of the 21st century were done by Chinese … China is the economic power of the future and we in Britain would be quite mad to decouple from that great power," he said.
Cowper-Coles also cited research commissioned by the business council to point out that trade with China has created nearly 150,000 jobs across the UK, and to note that 75,000 people have been hired directly by more than 800 Chinese companies in the country.
In addition, he said that British exports to China have grown by more than 900 percent during the past two decades, and that Chinese exports to the UK have grown almost as quickly, expanding by about 892 percent.
"The 500 million middle-class Chinese consumers like Peppa Pig and the Premier League, want to buy Range Rovers manufactured in Solihull, Burberry coats woven in South Yorkshire, Scotch whisky distilled in our beloved highlands, salmon raised in the farms of the locks of western Scotland. They want to eat shortbread and they want to buy British," he said. "And we need, ladies and gentlemen, to be part of that great commercial flow in both directions."
Stephen Perry, chairman of the 48 Group Club, a nonprofit organization that has promoted China-UK relations through trade and commerce throughout the past 70 years, said the great dedication of his father and his business colleagues who founded the club in the early 1950s ensured people could go against the tide and engage with China, despite a Western embargo.
"To some extent, that's what we did today," he said. "If we want to be successful as a country, if we want to be global Britain, we will take one thing that is absolutely clear, that Asia is likely to be the most important continent in the next 50 to 100 years in this world," Perry said. "We want the jobs, we want the work, and we want the opportunities to work together with China."
In the panel discussions, a lineup of prominent guest speakers, including the Li Yao, managing director of Q Energy; Roger Adams, executive director at RSK Group; Carol Yan, general manager of Power Link Machine UK Co; Tim Hawkins, lead of Manchester Airports Group's strategy, public affair, external communications and CSR teams; and Andy Burwell, international director at Confederation of British Industry shared knowledge of the UK government's Leveling-up policy and the opportunities it presents for companies.
At the panel on China-UK actions in pursuit of net zero of carbon emission, David Percival, chairman of Manchester China Forum; Keith Martin, senior vice-president in charge of LNG, gas, power, carbon and renewables at PetroChina International (London); Andrew Bissell, founder and CEO of Sunamp; and Corinna Fletcher, organizational development director of Group Lotus, discussed the business potential of the two country's efforts in fighting climate change.
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