China News Service, London, May 6 (Xinhua) On May 5, Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming delivered a keynote speech titled "Handling Together, Turning Crisis into Opportunity, and Creating the Future" at the UK-China Trade Association Online Symposium. After the speech, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming answered questions from the audience, the actual record is as follows:
Sir Gu Peiqin: Thank you very much Ambassador Liu for your speech. The number of participants of the China-Britain Business Council in this online symposium set a record, with nearly 500 people. The symposium was also open to more people, and British Sky TV, China International Television and other media reported. The first question is, some people are now calling for investigations into the source of the virus. How would you respond to them?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: First of all, as I said in my speech, China has always maintained an open and transparent attitude and informed the World Health Organization and other countries of pathogens and gene sequences in a timely manner without any cover or concealment. WHO and its top experts, as well as countries and scientists from all over the world including the UK, highly appreciate this. The British Medical Director of England Poise said that in the early stage of the outbreak, it was because China quickly determined and shared the genetic sequence information that other countries were able to quickly detect the virus and start developing vaccines. This is recognized by all parties.
Secondly, the noise of the so-called "investigation" mainly comes from the United States, and very few Western countries echo this. This behavior is entirely for political purposes. The current epidemic is raging around the world, and many countries such as the United States and Britain have a large number of deaths. The international community should concentrate on responding to the epidemic. However, the United States does not concentrate its efforts to fight against the epidemic and save lives, but it has completely ulterior motives to conduct so-called "investigations" on the origin of the virus. They are trying to find scapegoats and pass on their responsibility for China's poor response to the epidemic. This will not help the international community to deal with the epidemic.
Third, virus tracing is a scientific problem that should be left to scientists for research, not politicians. Politicians should mobilize their own forces and concentrate on responding to the epidemic. We should trust the research judgments of scientists, doctors and experts. Of course, any country should reflect on its effectiveness in responding to the epidemic. No country is perfect, but this is not the time for "investigation". We also acknowledge that China can do better in responding to the epidemic. We are willing to sum up experience and lessons in an open and transparent manner, and learn from each other's experience. In fact, we do the same. This is completely different from the so-called "investigation" for political purposes.
At the online seminar of the China-Britain Business Council on May 5, Sir Gu Peiqin, the chairman of the China-Britain Business Council asked questions to Ambassador Liu Xiaoming. Photo courtesy
Sir Gu Peiqin: Thank you very much, Ambassador Liu. Now I am asking questions on behalf of the business community. Many British business people want to know when they can return to China. We got good news this morning. The 13 China offices of the China-Britain Business Council have now fully resumed work. Today the Chinese government also announced that foreigners holding "green cards" can enter China freely. Can you talk about the free movement of people between China and the United Kingdom and other countries?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: At present, China ’s top priority is still epidemic prevention and control, and what is more worrying now is the case of imported cases from abroad. We still have to be vigilant about imported cases to ensure that there will be no rebound and avoid secondary outbreaks of immunization. Therefore, we still take restrictive measures just in case. However, as the prevention and control situation improves, relevant restrictions are gradually relaxed. I am very happy to hear the good news that the China-Britain Business Council employees in China have returned to their posts. I believe that as the situation continues to improve, all aspects will continue to improve. I just heard the good news that there are currently less than 500 confirmed cases in China. With more and more such good news, the relevant restrictions will be less and less.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Yes, thank you, Ambassador Liu. There are many questions from the education sector. I know that before the outbreak, there were 200,000 Chinese students studying in the UK. For example, at the University of Edinburgh, Chinese students ’admission applications for this fall increased by 30%. However, many people in the education sector and universities worry that the epidemic will affect the enthusiasm of Chinese students studying in the UK this year and the enthusiasm of British students going to China. Education cooperation is an extremely important part of the UK-China relationship. Can you tell people in the education circles of both countries when and how the UK-China education cooperation will resume?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: I very much agree with you. Education cooperation is indeed an important part of Sino-British relations and a link connecting the two countries. In fact, as you said, there are more than 200,000 Chinese students studying in the UK, ranking first in Europe and second in the world. In the early stage of the outbreak, Chinese students had many concerns. We also tried to communicate with them. I have organized many online activities like today with the students studying in the UK. The Chinese government is very concerned about the health and safety of international students. President Xi Jinping said many times that the Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the lives and health of overseas Chinese citizens, especially international students. To address their concerns, the Chinese government provided them with a "health pack." I held a "health package" distribution ceremony at the embassy. We distributed a "health package" to about 100,000 Chinese students abroad, because some students have returned to China. At the same time, we work closely with the civil aviation department of China to arrange temporary flights to pick up small international students and overseas students who have difficulties.
Everyone is worried that the impact of the epidemic on educational exchanges is completely understandable. But I believe that the foundation of Sino-British education cooperation is solid, and it is only a matter of time before it is resumed. Although the current British epidemic is still not optimistic, there are still many Chinese students and families who have consulted us about the enrollment of British schools. A few weeks ago, I wrote a letter to all university principals of 154 Chinese students in the UK, expressing concern about the safety and health of Chinese students, and I hope the school will take good care of them. At the same time, I also said that China will continue to work hard to strengthen cooperation between Chinese and British universities. I believe that the foundation of Sino-British education cooperation is solid. Once the epidemic is over, the cooperation between the two sides will resume soon. The Education Section of the Chinese Embassy maintains close contact with more than 100 universities in the UK. I have also maintained letter exchanges with the British Minister of Education and the Director General of the Ministry of Education to exchange views on how to strengthen Sino-British education cooperation.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Thank you very much. Some media and some Conservatives now have some anti-China sentiment. Maybe I can ask questions from another angle. A large number of Chinese investors have played and will play an increasingly important role in the UK. In the face of these unfriendly voices of the British media and political circles, as a Chinese ambassador to the UK, what will you say to Chinese entrepreneurs who invest in the UK to encourage them Continue to invest in the UK?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: First of all, we must distinguish a few murmurs from the official position of the British government and the mainstream opinions of British society. I believe that the anti-China sentiment you mentioned neither represents the position of the British government nor the broad consensus of the British business community such as the China-Britain Business Council, the 48 British Group Clubs, and the British Chamber of Commerce and Industry. After two weeks, I will participate in an online seminar held by the British Chamber of Commerce and Industry to communicate with Chairman Allen and members of the association. I think that Prime Minister Johnson and the British government are still committed to strengthening Sino-British relations. In calls and communications with Chinese leaders, Prime Minister Johnson reiterated his commitment to advancing the "Golden Age" of Sino-British relations. I believe that the British business community also welcomes Chinese business partners and supports strengthening relations with China. Not long ago, I was interviewed by the BBC's "Sharp Dialogue", when the host asked me if I was worried about the prospects of Sino-British relations. I said that I was neither worried nor worried. I said not to worry because I am fully confident that the Chinese and British governments will carry out all-round cooperation. In addition to fighting the epidemic together, we have many bilateral and multilateral cooperation issues. I have participated in many Sino-British business and education cooperation. Even when it comes to the media, I do n’t think the British media are all negative. In the early days of the epidemic, I saw many more balanced reports. They believed that China actively combated the epidemic, made huge sacrifices, and bought time for the world to fight the epidemic. However, as the United States stigmatized China and sought a "scapegoat," some British media began to follow suit, "dancing" with American politicians and the media. I do n’t want to criticize too much. I do n’t expect these media to be friendly to China. I just hope they can report on China objectively and in a balanced manner. As you said, individual media and politicians do have anti-China voices, but they are a minority and do not represent the British government or the British Parliament. I believe that partnership, cooperation and friendship are the main themes of Sino-British relations. "Cold war thinking" is not the mainstream of today's era.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Thank you very much. I remember that Premier Zhou Enlai first proposed that we should advocate seeking common ground while reserving differences. This spirit has been repeatedly advocated over the years. Now let's talk about the economic issues that the China-Britain Business Council is most concerned about. Our members raised three or four questions about the recovery of Chinese market demand. You just talked about the situation of resumption of production and production, how do you view the prospects of China's domestic and overseas market demand? Will this hinder China's economic recovery?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: As we all know, the epidemic affected not only China ’s domestic economy but also China ’s foreign trade and investment. The Chinese government attaches great importance to and takes strong measures to promote economic recovery. When the epidemic situation has not been completely controlled, President Xi Jinping made it clear that we want to fight on two fronts. One front is to prevent and control the epidemic, and the other front is to restore the economy. Recently, the Chinese government has adopted many measures such as "six stability" and "six guarantees". "Six stability" means "stable employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign investment, investment and expectations", and "six guarantees" means ensuring employment of residents, basic people's livelihood, market players, food energy security, and industrial chain The supply chain is stable and grassroots operations are maintained. The effectiveness of these measures is constantly showing.
As I said in my speech, China is still committed to deepening reform and opening up. The Foreign Investment Law came into effect early this year. As more laws and regulations are introduced, the door of China's domestic market to the world will open wider and wider, especially in the financial industry such as insurance. This will provide broad business opportunities for British companies with advantages in financial, legal and insurance services. China will also establish more free trade pilot zones to further reduce the negative list of foreign investment access. These new measures will provide foreign businessmen with a better business environment.
Sir Gu Peiqin: We have many questions about the digital economy, artificial intelligence and 5G. You said in your speech that this epidemic has changed the world in terms of work, education, health, and digital delivery. China is already a highly digital society. I remember attending a seminar on Alibaba's development in the UK earlier this year. I learned that Alibaba has 800 million users in China and visits the Alibaba website 27 times a day. Can you talk about the opportunities provided by China's digitalization, how British companies can take advantage of these opportunities, and what experiences can China learn from the process of promoting business digitalization in the UK?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: I fully agree with your statement that the digital economy does provide a broad space for Sino-British cooperation. In the first quarter of this year, although China's economy contracted by 6.8%, the lowest since the relevant statistical records were recorded in 1992, the digital economy grew strongly. Online retail sales of physical goods increased by 5.9% in March, accounting for 23.6% of total social consumer retail sales. The British invented the World Wide Web and have cutting-edge technological advantages in the fields of digital technology and artificial intelligence. China and Britain should strengthen cooperation in these fields.
Many British companies are already doing business in China, and they understand the development opportunities in specific areas better than you and me. I want to emphasize that China provides a huge market. When people talk about China ’s contribution, they are often concerned that China is the world ’s factory. We are indeed the world ’s largest producer of many products and will continue to do so, but we should also note that China is a huge market and the world ’s second largest consumer market. , Will soon become the largest consumer market. Therefore, the digital economy will provide great potential and growth space for China and China-UK cooperation.
Sir Gu Peiqin: There are several questions about China ’s direct investment in the UK, especially in the British “Red Wall” zone. At the end of last year's general election, Johnson led the Conservative Party for the first time to seize the seats in the "Red Wall" zone that the Labor Party in central and northern England has long held. In addition, there are at least three questions about China ’s investment in British University projects, such as Prime Minister Johnson ’s “Gigabit Broadband” plan and high-speed rail line 2 and high-speed rail line 3 projects to revitalize northern England. Can you talk about your opinion? Will this be affected by the epidemic? What are the prospects?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: We encourage more cooperation between China and Britain. If there is no outbreak, the 5th China-Britain Local Leaders Conference will be held in Birmingham in February this year. More than 700 local leaders of the two countries have signed up for the meeting, including about 300 Chinese representatives and nearly 500 British representatives. Sir John Beth, the chairman of the "Central Engine" project in England and England, took the lead in organizing the meeting and we worked closely with it. China has a strong interest in strengthening Sino-British local cooperation. I think that the local cooperation between China and Britain is highly complementary. China has regional development strategies such as the "Yangtze River Economic Belt", "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" and "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development". "Engine" and other local development strategies, the two sides can strengthen strategic integration. You are right, Chinese entrepreneurs are ambitious and successful in investing outside London. In March this year, when China ’s epidemic was at its peak and the UK was just experiencing an outbreak, I attended the closing ceremony of China ’s Hebei Jingye Group ’s acquisition of the British steel company together with British Minister of Commerce, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Sharma. Highly praised. The acquisition of British Steel by Dedicated Group proves that, despite the new crown pneumonia epidemic and Britain's "Brexit", Chinese companies are still willing to develop the British market. Although Dedicated Group is not China's largest steel company, it is one of the most successful steel companies. In this acquisition, Dedicated Group not only retained 3,200 local jobs, but also promised to invest 1.2 billion pounds in upgrading and upgrading equipment in the next 10 years, which will contribute to the transformation and upgrading of the British steel industry. As far as I know, due to the impact of the epidemic on the industrial supply chain, the operation of the dedication group has been affected to a certain extent, but they firmly believe that they can cope with the challenges well and that investing in the UK is the right choice.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Thank you, Ambassador Liu. I believe everyone knows that Lord Grimmstone was recently appointed as the Minister of State for Investment in the International Trade Department. I do n’t know if he is listening to our online video conference, but some colleagues in his department must be listening. I know he will promote the new National Security and Investment Act in the upper house of the British Parliament. I want to know what do you think of the British government's strengthening the review of foreign investment security? Will China understand, worry or disagree? What message would you send to Lord Grimmstone?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: I do have good communication with Sir Grimmstone, but we did not talk about security review. I understand that regardless of the UK or China, every country cares about its own national security. National security is also one of the top priorities for China and the Chinese government. But I think that no matter what policy or law is promulgated, it must be fair and non-discriminatory, which is very important. It is unfair to list China as an investment review object or security threat alone, which will not only send a very negative message to the world, but also to China. As globalization deepens, people have new concerns about security, and we understand this. However, it is very important that the security review must be non-discriminatory, fair, transparent, and fact-based. The UK is known for its free, transparent and good business environment. I do n’t want to see the United Kingdom scare away foreign investors, including Chinese companies, through so-called “strengthening security measures against foreign companies”.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Very good. Thank you, Ambassador Liu. If you agree, we can continue to communicate for a few minutes, I still have a few questions to ask you. Can you take up a few more minutes?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: No problem.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Great! The first issue is related to climate security. The United Kingdom originally hoped that a senior Chinese official would come to Glasgow in November to attend the 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (hereinafter referred to as COP26). COP26 has been postponed. Can you tell us about the cooperation between Britain and China in the field of climate security? British Deputy Foreign Minister McDonald said recently to the Foreign Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament that without China ’s participation, global problems could hardly be resolved. Addressing climate change seems to be one of them, and the UK and China have been maintaining exchanges in the field of technology and expertise.
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: China is actively committed to protecting the environment and implementing the Paris Agreement, earnestly fulfilling its related obligations, and has made tremendous contributions to combating climate change. 2020 was originally an important year for China and the UK to strengthen cooperation in environmental protection and climate change, as the two countries planned to hold the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) and COP26 respectively during the year. China and Britain have maintained very close cooperation in this regard. The governments of both countries have designated leaders respectively. The British side calls them "chairmen" and we call them "leaders." Huang Runqiu, the Chinese leader and China's new Minister of Ecology and Environment, looks forward to communicating with the British Chairman and Sharma Minister of Commerce. Minister Sharma and I also had many exchanges on how to co-operate COP15 and COP26. Cooperating to run these two conferences is not only in the interest of the two countries, but also helps China and Britain show leadership in this very important field. When talking about COP15 and COP26, we need to think long-term on how to make the world a better place. Although the meeting was postponed due to the epidemic, the governments of the two countries have maintained close contact online, and the working groups of both parties have also maintained communication. We look forward to more fruitful and positive exchanges with the British side. After the epidemic is over, the two parties can resume related work as soon as possible and continue to promote cooperation in environmental protection and climate change.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Thank you, Ambassador Liu. We still have two questions, one on health cooperation and the other on friendship and cultural exchanges between the two countries. We must know that Page and Piggy Shakespeare are the most important cultural products exported by Britain to China. You have been China ’s ambassador to the UK for 10 years, and I would like to finally ask you a light topic about cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Our members raised a lot of questions about health cooperation. You just used the interesting saying of "Healthy Silk Road". I know that in the past few weeks, billions of pounds of medical supplies have been shipped from China to the UK. In addition to these personal protective equipment, ventilators and other emergency supplies, what does the "Healthy Silk Road" mean for the UK?
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: In terms of health cooperation, providing personal protective equipment, ventilators and other medical supplies is only part of the Sino-British cooperation. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Johnson not only mentioned the response to the current epidemic, but also attached great importance to the cooperation of science and technology and research and development of vaccines between the two countries, and supported the cooperation of scientists in this important field. At the ministerial level, I also mentioned in my speech that Director Ma Xiaowei maintained close phone and letter exchanges with the Hancock Minister of Health. At the government level, the two sides maintain close policy exchanges. At the practical level, the two sides support and assist each other in providing personal protective equipment, ventilator and other medical supplies. In addition, we also shared the experience of diagnosis and treatment. The joint working group of Shandong Province in China had communicated with British experts online when they came to Britain. Scientists from British universities and companies such as GlaxoSmithKline also cooperate with Chinese partners on vaccines and drug development. In my opinion, the vaccine is the ultimate solution to the epidemic. At the international level, China and Britain are good partners. Both sides support WHO's important role, support international cooperation to combat the epidemic and improve global public health. Ambassador Zhang Ming, head of the Chinese mission to the EU, represented the Chinese government at the international pledging conference on coping with the outbreak of the European Union and the United Kingdom. He spoke highly of the efforts of the European Union and the United Kingdom and reiterated his support for international anti-epidemic efforts , Developing countries. In my opinion, China and Britain have great potential for cooperation in the field of public health.
In terms of culture, both China and Britain have a long history. China has 5,000 years of uninterrupted civilization, and Britain also has a rich culture and civilization. Since my work in the UK, hundreds of cultural groups have exchanged visits between the two countries every year. The "Edinburgh Art Festival" is very popular in China and attracts many Chinese dancers, performers and performers. Regarding Shakespeare, I have participated in many activities of Royal Shakespeare Company. In fact, I also encourage them to strengthen cooperation with their Chinese counterparts, including the mutual translation of Shakespeare's works and Chinese classics. China has staged a new version of "Hamlet" not long ago. When I was in China to report my job, I was invited and eventually failed to watch it because of official duties. Now, I think they are also doing online performances. I believe that there are abundant opportunities and great potential for Sino-English cooperation. People from the cultural circles of the two countries are communicating online. If they encounter any problems, such as the Royal Shakespeare Company having any difficulties in communicating with its Chinese partners, we would like to provide assistance.
Sir Gu Peiqin: Thank you Ambassador Liu for your wonderful speech. During the "Fighting the City", I reread "Exploring Modern China" by British writer Shi Jingqian. 150 years ago, the West knew more about China than China knew about the West, and now China understands the West better. The United Kingdom may know the United States or France, but it still does not know enough about China. Our task is not to export cultural products to China. Although this is also welcomed, it is to ensure that the British understand the breadth and depth of Chinese culture and civilization. This is a work in progress. Thank you Ambassador Liu for taking 75 minutes of precious time to answer some difficult and sensitive questions. I am afraid that these problems will still exist in the coming months and even years. We should, as Premier Zhou Enlai said, seek common ground while reserving differences, and respect each other's core interests. Finally, I would like to thank the viewers who still watch online overtime.
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming: I fully agree with Sir Gu Peiqin's point of view, but "Exploring Modern China" is a book that has been around for a long time. I read it for the first time when I was in the US. We need updated books and look forward to writing a book about Sino-British relations. (Finish)