In an effort to further deepen China-UK economic and trade cooperation and facilitate Chinese enterprises in expanding their presence in international markets, the “Export to China” UK-specific event, co-organized by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the United Kingdom, was successfully held in London on the 1st. Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of China; Kylie, Minister of Commerce and Trade of the United Kingdom; Ambassador Zheng Zeguang; Duan Hongtao, Executive Director of ICBC; and Wu Shitian, President of the China-UK Trade Association, attended the event.
Wang Wentao stated that the United Kingdom is China’s third-largest trading partner in Europe, and China is the United Kingdom’s largest trading partner in Asia. Cooperation in the economic and trade fields between China and the United Kingdom has continued to deepen, enabling the complementary development of advantageous industries and the exchange of market factors. China is willing to work with the United Kingdom to jointly translate the potential for fruitful cooperation between China and the United Kingdom into tangible achievements.
Wang Wentao also pointed out that China boasts the largest middle-income population in the world and a super-large market advantage, offering significant potential for expanding imports from the United Kingdom. From a perspective of trade partners, we have established the “Export to China” brand, aiming to share China’s new development opportunities with the world and inject positive energy into the global economy. We hope that British enterprises will actively participate in the “Export to China” series of events and the 9th China International Import Expo, engage deeply with and negotiate with Chinese enterprises, continuously expand the scope of Sino-British trade cooperation, achieve mutual benefits, and jointly create a new chapter in Sino-British economic and trade cooperation.
Kyle stated that current Sino-British relations are experiencing a full-scale thaw. Over the course of less than a year, the two sides have held three high-level, important intergovernmental meetings, marking a new stage in bilateral cooperation. The new industrial development strategy introduced by the United Kingdom is highly aligned with China’s “15th Five-Year Plan,” creating opportunities for cooperation between the two sides. Through dialogue, the UK and China can enhance mutual understanding, work together, maintain stability in their economic and trade relations, and benefit their respective peoples.
In his speech, Zheng Zeguang said that during his visits to various parts of the United Kingdom in recent years, he had gained a firsthand sense of the enormous potential of Sino-British cooperation. The British public and private sectors generally support strengthening exchanges and cooperation with China. He pointed out that Sino-British economic and trade cooperation has long maintained a mutually beneficial and win-win relationship. Exports to China have created nearly 500,000 jobs in the United Kingdom, while Chinese-funded enterprises in the UK have directly created over 56,000 jobs and indirectly generated over 150,000 employment opportunities. At the same time, the economic structures of China and the United Kingdom are highly complementary, and there is ample scope for alignment between China’s “15th Five-Year Plan” and the UK’s modern industrial strategy. Faced with the current complex global economic situation, China and the United Kingdom should further strengthen communication and coordination, deepen pragmatic cooperation, and continue to promote the development of bilateral economic and trade relations, thereby creating more opportunities for cooperation between the two countries’ enterprises.
During the event, the 9th China International Import Expo held an overseas promotion session, during which the Bureau of Foreign Trade Development of the Ministry of Commerce, the British-China Trade Association, ICBC, and JD.com announced support measures. Over 300 entrepreneurs, business associations, and government representatives from both China and the UK participated, covering a range of areas for cooperation such as automobiles, energy and chemicals, instrumentation, sports events, and life sciences.
In addition to large British enterprises actively seeking to expand their presence in the Chinese market, Aisha Ibrahim, the head of a small British skincare company, shared with reporters her experiences during a visit to China last year as part of a delegation from the British-Chinese Trade Association. She stated that, with support from the Chinese side, the company successfully connected with Chinese clients and has already initiated trade collaborations with relevant partners. She believed that China’s market is vast and has tremendous development potential, and that this experience has further strengthened her company’s confidence in expanding its presence in the Chinese market and deepening its cooperation with China. (Outlook New Era)
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