Peter Wilson

The China Network

The British Government runs not just an Embassy but a network in China. It is large, and has more than doubled in the last decade. We met today as we do three times a year. Some figures:

• two of our consulates, Shanghai and Guangzhou, are bigger than most of our Embassies elsewhere in the world;
• we have one of only five foreign consulates in Chongqing, in Western China - enabling us to reach large areas that before the year 2000 we could not cover well;
• we employ over 750 people in the mainland network, including the British Council.

Overall, the Foreign Office has reduced its numbers over the past five years. But it has significantly increased coverage in China. The most recent big push, last year, was on climate change, where we've built a country wide network now, that is doing important pilot projects across the country, including in Jilin and Zhejiang. This follows big expansions in trade, foreign policy, science, visas, and culture/education.

At our meeting today, we reviewed the past year. The progress we've made is quite astonishing. The political relationship is strong. Premier Wen in London on 2 February said that "the China UK relationship has gone beyond the bilateral scope and is having an increasingly important impact on the whole world". We are working closely together in the run up to the London Summit involving the G20 on 2 April. The Prime Minister and Premier Wen both gave a significant push to the Millennium Development Goals in New York last September. We are both permanent members of the UN security council, and work closely together in New York.

A lot of British Government departments now work out of our Embassies and consulates in China. Here are some highlights. Our Department for International Development has an important dialogue with China through exchange of best practice, and important project work here and in Africa. British exports to China went up by 32% last year. UK scientists publish more joint research papers with Chinese scientists than any other country in the world, apart from the US. We are close partners in climate change, including on important pilot projects - one in Jilin is setting up China's first low carbon development zone, another in Zhejiang is pilotting a better way to measure emissions. 21% more new students went from China to the UK last year - and China is one of the top priorities for the British Council. China is one of the top three recipients of British visas world wide. Over 500,000 British visitors came to China last year - so we have a busy consular team. As a leading member of the EU, Britain has strongly supported a free trade policy, and greater EU engagement on other key issues such as climate change, human rights, and top foreign policy issues. 2008 was a busy year.

We also did some planning ahead. China is a starred priority for every one of our overseas objectives. So it looks like this year will be busier still.

Posted at 06:37 16 February 2009 by Peter Wilson  |  Comments[1]