On the evening of February 28th, London time, a charity event entitled “UK and China, United We Stand” was held at the Guildhall of the City of London jointly by the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK) and the City of London, supported by the China-UK Business Council, the 48 Group Club, the Institute of Directors and the UK-China Centre. With the theme of “Together We Fight against the Virus”, the event aimed to showcase China’s extraordinary efforts to fight the epidemic and strengthen China and the UK’s confidence in tackling the outbreak. More than 300 guests from Chinese enterprises in the UK, the British and Chinese political and business communities and other business associations attended the event to share their deep friendship and solidarity.

The guests include HE LIU Xiaoming, Ambassador of China to the UK; Alderman William Russell, Lord Mayor of the City of London; FANG Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK and CEO of Bank of China London Branch; Richard Burn, HM Trade Commissioner for China of the UK; and Lord Sassoon, President of the China-UK Business Council.

(HE LIU Xiaoming, Ambassador of China to the UK, Delivers the Keynote Speech)

Ambassador LIU delivered a keynote speech entitled “Uniting Our Strengths to Fight the Virus”. He mentioned that through last week’s telephone conversation between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the two leaders expressed their confidence in victory over the epidemic and agreed that China-UK would shoulder the responsibility and work together to ensure this victory. Ambassador Liu stressed that epidemics know no borders and love knows no country. At this critical moment, the City of London, the British and Chinese business communities joined hands in hosting the event. They stood firmly with China, demonstrating their firm determination to overcome the virus. Their confidence in China’s long-term economic upturn and their steadfast perseverance to advance the China-UK relations. China and the UK should take a long-term view, stick to the China-UK “Golden Era” direction, and stick to mutually beneficial cooperation. We should seize new opportunities, tap into the complementarity of our economies, tap the new potential for practical cooperation, and take China-UK collaboration to new heights. We should jointly shoulder the responsibilities of major countries and undertake historical duties, uphold multilateralism and free trade. China and the UK will join hands to tackle global challenges and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for humankind. It is believed that after this challenging virus, China-UK mutual trust will be enhanced, the cooperation strengthened, the friendship deepened. And the “golden era” of China-UK relations will bear even more “golden fruits”.

(Keynote speech by William Russell, Lord Mayor of the City of London)

In his keynote speech, Mr William Russell expressed his deep condolences to the people of the areas affected by Covid-19 and his admiration for China’s vigorous response to the virus. He mentioned that the City’s friendship and exchange with several Chinese cities had provided good conditions for a joint response to international challenges. The epidemic will not shake the foundation of mutual trust and benefit between China and the UK. Still, it will only strengthen the confidence of solidarity and cooperation between the two sides. The British side will continue to support its partner in the spirit of “sending charcoal in the snow”. He looks forward to visiting China later this year to deepen China-UK cooperation further and offer his sincerest concern and best wishes in person.

(Welcome Speech by FANG Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK and CEO of Bank of China London Branch)

In his welcome speech, Mr FANG Wenjian said that during this challenging period, the Chinese people had received tremendous support from all over the world. Here they should also sincerely appreciate the sincere concern and strong support from all sectors in the UK. Chinese enterprises in the UK have been quick to respond, taking various measures to prevent and control the virus and doing their utmost to maintain their regular business. He pointed out that Covid-19 is a shared challenge for all the nations, and it’s needed to stay united to face it. The CCCUK will continue to unite the efforts of all parties and cooperate with the local community to contribute to the prevention and control of Covid-19 actively. Additionally, it will strengthen the ties of friendship between China and the UK and continue to deepen the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

(Speech by Richard Burn, HM Trade Commissioner for China of the UK.)

In his speech, Mr Richard Burn thanked the Chinese government for its initiatives to prevent and control the epidemic. Especially the support provided by the Ministry of Commerce of China to foreign enterprises. He mentioned that, in response to the impact of the epidemic, the Chinese government at all levels had introduced policies to support both domestic and foreign enterprises equally. Additionally, it provided strong protection for British enterprises to tide over this difficult period. It is believed that after this crisis, China’s economy will pick up quickly, and China will have established an even closer partnership with the UK.

(Speech by Lord Sassoon, President of the China-UK Business Council)

In his speech, Lord Sassoon said that as the epidemic spreads around the world, solidarity and cooperation are especially important. Members of the Council have been actively contributing to the prevention and control of Covid-19 by making various donations. Last year was another record-breaking year of the UK’s exports to China. China became the UK’s third-largest export market. It’s hoped that China and the UK will continue to strengthen business cooperation and take economic development to a new level after the epidemic.

Stephen Perry, Chairman of the 48 Group Club, was very supportive of the event. He said that although the epidemic has had a short-term impact on the Chinese economy, with China taking several countermeasures and resuming production and work in an orderly manner, it is believed that the epidemic will eventually be contained. The Chinese economy will overcome the difficulties and continue to grow.

Following a speech by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, William Russell, the sound of ancient chimes, Wuhan’s most iconic instrument, rang through the venue. Then the song started, and young British students from Guildhall School of Music & Drama put on a flash mob singing of Chime of the Dawn Bells, expressing the British people’s firm support to the Chinese people. The song written by world-renowned pianist Jean-Francois Maljean in collaboration with Chinese musicians expressed their desire to use music to dispel some of the misconceptions about China. Mr Maljean also came to the event himself to show his support for China and Wuhan.

British Guests at the event expressed their sympathy. They sent regards to the Chinese people fighting against the virus and their appreciation to the Chinese government for its speedy and efficient response to the epidemic outbreak. They spoke highly of China’s effective measures and the resilience of the Chinese people. They expressed their confidence that China will eventually win this war over the virus and usher in a new opportunity to develop China-UK relations.