Chinese President, XI Jinping shares message at The Icebreakers 2022 Chinese New Year Online Celebration
Watch the event recording here.
The event included a message from Chinese President, XI Jinping – shared by the Chinese Ambassador, HE Mr ZHENG Zeguang. In the message XI congratulated the three host organisations, including CBBC, on their work, and emphasised the mutual benefits of a balanced trading relationship between the UK and China:
“Looking ahead, I hope that the visionary people from both our two countries, including the business community, will carry forward the ‘icebreaking’ spirit and expand mutually beneficial cooperation to give the China-UK friendship a new dimension befitting our times and bring more benefits to both our two countries and peoples.”
President XI’s message mentioned the forthcoming 50th Anniversary of UK-China diplomatic relations; and in May, CBBC will be running events in Beijing and Shanghai to mark this anniversary.
Chinese Ambassador, HE Mr ZHENG Zeguang, went on to urge British and Chinese companies to respond actively to the President’s call for bilateral cooperation; and in particular, he mentioned the value of international collaboration in sectors such as healthcare, fintech and the digital economy.
Pictured above: H.E. ZHENG Zeguang
In addition, the Rt Hon Lord Hammond of Runnymede underlined the call for continuing bilateral business cooperation:
“... it would be very easy for us to turn our backs on each other, but that would be the wrong conclusion and a bad outcome for the two countries.”
Pictured above: The Rt Hon Lord Hammond of Runnymede
CBBC Chair, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles stressed the contribution made by the Chinese community in the UK, whether as students, businesspeople or – in non-pandemic times – tourists:
“China and the UK stand to achieve a great many things together, and not only in the boardrooms, where, as the Chair of the China-Britain Business Council, I get a privileged view of how British and Chinese firms are working together to pursue innovations that will not only bring benefit to our respective countries, but in third markets across the world.”
Pictured above: Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chair of CBBC
The event underlines the importance of the bilateral trade and economic relationship, not least with regards to UK prosperity and jobs. China is now the third largest export market for British goods, and with a growing middle class, China looks set to present long-term opportunities for British businesses.
Watch the event recording here.
Read the full message from President XI Jinping here.
For any further enquiries please contact Lise Bertelsen at Lise.Bertelsen@cbbc.org.