Regional summit stresses China-UK regional collaboration

DALIAN — The 4th UK-China Regional Leaders Summit was successfully held from Oct 15 to 17 in Northeast China’s coastal city of Dalian.

The summit aims to explore business opportunities and boost cooperation between different regions and cities in China and the United Kingdom.

Themed “Establishing a Global Vision, Creating a Golden Era,” the summit comprises the plenary session, forums, official meetings, ceremonies and field visits.

Over 200 Chinese and British delegates, including officials, diplomats and entrepreneurs attended the summit.

They shared insights on topics like innovation, small and medium enterprises, elderly healthcare, education and local development.

Seven Memorandums of Understanding were signed during the summit on trade and investment, higher education, vocational training, science and technology as well as sports exchanges between the Chinese and British regions.

The bilateral local cooperation mechanism has been constantly improving by people-to-people exchanges and economic cooperation, said Song Jingwu, vice-president of the People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).

He hoped the summit will serve as a platform for different Chinese and UK regions to further deepen pragmatic cooperation.

Christina Scott, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing, said, “the summit is a very useful way of bringing together lots of different provinces.”

The regional partnerships provide a very valuable framework for much more detailed collaboration, Christina Scott added.

The summit was sponsored by the CPAFFC, British Embassy and British Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and organized by the Dalian Municipal People’s government.