On 13 March 2012, China and the U.K. celebrated 40 years of diplomatic relations at the Ambassadorial level.
Over the past four decades, cooperation between the two countries has flourished in many areas, including trade and investment, education, culture, science and technology, sports, tourism, and sustainable development.
Impressive figures include:
• In 1972, the UK received only 200 Chinese students while China received 100 British students.
Today, there are over 100,000 Chinese students in the U.K., more than any other foreign student
group, and there are 3,300 British students in China.
• There are now 19 Confucius Institutes and 60 Confucius classrooms in the U.K.
• In 2010, more than 575,000 British nationals visited China, and nearly 130,000 Chinese tourists
visited the U.K.
• The U.K. ranked as China's top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) among E.U. countries in
2010 and between January and August in 2011. China's investment in the U.K. has grown from
almost none in 1972 to more than $2.3 billion now.
• Bilateral trade has increased from $300 million in 1972 to $58.7 billion today.
• China co-authors more scientific research papers with the U.K. than with any other country other
than the U.S. and Japan.
The 40th anniversary is one of a number of landmark events in 2012, which highlight the strengthening relationship between China and the U.K. Following the spectacular Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, London will host the Olympic Games this year between July and September. The U.K. looks forward to welcoming the Chinese delegation, the largest of any competing nation.
In addition, U.K. Now, the largest British arts festival in China ever, will be held between April and November this year, bringing more than 100 U.K. cultural events to 17 cities across China.
In an interview with Xinhua, Liu Xiaoming, China's Ambassador to the U.K., said, "I am glad to note that the 40th anniversary of China-U.K. full diplomatic relations has coincided with the 60 years of the British Queen's reign and the London Olympics. I am confident about the future of China-U.K. relations."
In a speech at the Chinese Embassy in the U.K., Ambassador Liu also said, "We have every reason to be confident because of the huge potential for cooperation in all fields. Our economies are highly complementary. We are both engaged in restructuring our economies. This has created enormous opportunities for bilateral trade and investment. Our commitment to expanding people-to-people links will also boost our cooperation in education, culture, science, and technology."
Sebastian Wood, Britain's Ambassador to China, said, "The U.K.-China relationship continues to become both stronger and deeper with every passing year. In our anniversary year, I express my warmest wishes to the Chinese people. The British Government is determined to further develop the extensive political, business, cultural, and educational links between our two nations."
Please click here, here, and here for additional media coverage on China and the U.K. celebrating 40 years of full diplomatic relations and here to access the full speech by Ambassador Liu.
