“UK Season in Shandong” launched to strengthen partnership with Chinese region
“UK Season in Shandong”, a series of high profile events to increase joint commercial opportunities between the UK and Shandong, was launched today.
“UK Season in Shandong” launched to strengthen partnership with Chinese region
The events will focus on closer cooperation across a range of business sectors from advanced manufacturing to financial services and have been organised by the UK Government and the Shandong Foreign Affairs Office.
The UK’s trade relationship with Shandong is already in a strong position. 14 of the largest UK companies have offices in Shandong, with the UK exporting around £360 million worth of goods to the province and investing around £12 million.
The UK Ambassador to China Dame Barbara Woodward Ambassador marked the launch of at an opening ceremony in Jinan’s most prestigious mall, the Hanglung Plaza.
Her Majesty’s Ambassador to China, Dame Barbara Woodward said:
Broadening regional cooperation is a core element of the UK’s relationship with China. The “UK Season in Shandong” is exhibiting the very best of what the UK has to offer from cutting edge marine technology to our expertise in financial services.
Our relationship with Shandong has gone from strength to strength in recent years and I hope these engaging events spark greater collaboration between our governments, our businesses and our people.
Stronger business links
As part of the launch, Ambassador Woodward and Governor Gong Zheng of Shandong witnessed the unveiling of joint venture between BP and Dongming, to open 500 service stations in northern China.
The UK government together with the Ministry of Commerce opened the China-Britain Innovation and Industry Park in Qingdao in November 2017 to provide a supportive environment for UK companies expanding into China and Shandong. As part of the UK Season, UK companies will visit the park to experience innovative collaborations between businesses of the two countries.
UK as an increasingly popular tourism destination
Also in November 2017, the first direct flight between the UK and Shandong was opened in Qingdao, on the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the UK and China. Since the inaugural flight, a growing number of tourists from Shandong now have more convenient way to visit the UK.
To celebrate the UK as an increasingly popular tourism destination, a photo exhibition of the UK tourism maze sponsored by China CITIC Bank is now open to public at the Hang Lung Plaza for a week. 100 selected photos of the best UK attractions will give the public a tour of Britain without having to leave the city.
Vibrant cultural exchanges
At Shandong University, the Ambassador Woodward will deliver a speech on UK-China Relations and celebrate the UK Government’s global flagship programme Chevening 35 years’ anniversary in China and around the world. Since 1983, the Chevening Programme has funded nearly 4,000 Chinese professionals to attend postgraduate education at UK higher education institutions.
Ambassador Woodward together with Dr. Yang Xiaoping from BP will also participate in a Be Yourself, Pledge for Progress Roundtable, co-organised by the British Embassy Beijing, Shandong Foreign Affairs Office, and Shandong Youth Federation. Pledge for Progress is a British Embassy’s national campaign launched in Xi’an in May this year to promote gender equality in organisations across China and the UK. At the event, a number of nine local companies have joined the campaign and taken pledges. Statistics show that 49.6% of the global population is female, but in 2017, globally they fill only 22% of senior managerial roles. Advancing women’s equality could add minimum $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025 (McKinsey 2015). The UK views women’s empowerment as an economic necessity and would like to promote it further in China.