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March 13th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda
There were some bright intervals. Seventy years ago, Chinese and British
people stood shoulder to shoulder against the invasion of China by Japan.
Then, those ties went into a deep freeze following the foundation of the
People’s Republic of China in 1949. On March 3, 1972, China-UK relations
were raised from charge d’affaires to ambassadorial level. Forty years on,
in 2012, our countries are closer than ever before.
There have been some crucial milestones during the past four decades that have
led to this point. The restoration of China’s position as one of the five
permanent members of the UN Security Council was a key first move. Other
notable steps were the British commitment to the one China policy on the
issue of Taiwan and Tibet; the successful resolution of the Hong Kong
question; the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership;
high-level dialogue mechanisms, such as the annual summit of premiers: plus,
economic, financial and strategic dialogue.
These strong political links have been matched by an extraordinary economic
transformation. Sino-UK bilateral trade reached $58.7 billion in 2011, more
than 200 times that in 1972, and the premiers of our countries have
committed to raising the sum to $100 billion by 2015. Two-way investment has
surged from zero to nearly $20 billion – in particular, Chinese investment
in the UK is growing fast.
The collaboration between our countries is constantly widening and deepening.
Co-operation is advancing in the areas of energy efficiency, environmental
protection, branding and financial services, and there are joint efforts
involving infrastructure development, small businesses and research.
People-to-people and cultural exchanges are on the rise – there are now 47
pairs of sister provinces and cities – and there is a choice of more than 10
direct flights between our countries every day. More than 120,000 Chinese
students study in the UK, compared with just 100 back in 1972. A total of 19
Confucius Institutes and 60 Confucius Classrooms have been opened in
Britain. No other European country can compete in this regard. China will
also participate in the 2012 London Book Fair as the “market focus” country,
which will involve more than 300 related activities.
Of course, China and the UK differ in history, culture, social systems and
values, so one should not be surprised when differences arise. In a mature
relationship, some important principles need to be followed – we should
respect each other, treat each other as equals and seek common ground while
accepting the differences.
Over the past two years, since I came to London, I have visited many places in
Britain and I have been deeply impressed by the enthusiasm for the growing
links between our two countries. There is great mutual benefit to be had if
we work to take the relationship to new highs over the next 40 years.
Liu Xiaoming is China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom
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