'Decoupling' from China won't stop China's development, says China's UK ambassador

"Decoupling" from China will only do harm to other countries and cannot stop China's development, said Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang at the China-Midlands Cooperation Forum held in the city of Coventry in central England on April 18.

Ambassador Zheng Zeguang pointed out that China is adhering to its own path of modernization, promoting high-quality development and accelerating the development of new productive forces.

China has introduced a series of new measures to expand domestic demand and enhance the level of opening up to the world. Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese economy has continued to improve, with a first-quarter economic growth of 5.3 percent, achieving a good start.

China will further expand market access in multiple fields, and continue to create a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized, bringing new opportunities for foreign investment in China.

Ambassador Zheng Zeguang pointed out that some Western media are keen on painting a bleak picture of China's development prospects, a practice they have been doing for decades. However, their predictions have been and will continue to be shattered by facts. 

"Some Western politicians use excuses to safeguard economic security, clamoring for 'decoupling' or 'de-risking' from China, but such actions will only harm themselves and cannot stop China's development."

He noted the essence of Sino-British economic and trade cooperation is mutual benefit and win-win. The central region of England has enormous potential for mutually beneficial cooperation with China. It is hoped that the business communities of both sides will seize the opportunity and take proactive actions. 

The ambassador said British companies are welcome to invest and do business in China and continue to provide high-quality products to the Chinese market. The Chinese Embassy in the UK will, as always, provide support and facilitation to the business communities of both countries.

The forum was chaired by Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK). Sir Graham Holbrook Fry, Chairman of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), and Shehzad Chaudhary, Midlands Director for International Trade and Investment Department for Business and Trade, also addressed the event.

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