UK-China Charity Initiative launched in London

On 3rd December, the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK) and The Lord Mayor's Appeal jointly launched the "UK-China Charity Initiative". With the theme of "UK-China Charity, Building Harmony Together", the initiative will be operated by both the CCCUK and Lord Mayor's Appeal, working together on a series of charitable events to contributing to local communities both in the UK and China.

The launch took place at the home of the Lord Mayor, through a formal dinner at the Mansion House.

This first fundraising event under the new initiative was attended by H.E. Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, and his wife Madam Hu Pinghua, Alderman Peter Estlin, The Rt Hon Lord Mayor of the City of London, Lady Mayoress Lindy Estlin, Madam BAO Ling, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, Mr. Geng Jinhai, Chairman of the CCCUK, and Mr John Mclean OBE, Head of China-UK relations for The Lord Mayor's Appeal. Representatives from ten Chinese enterprises in the UK including Bank of China London Branch, China Telecom (Europe) Limited, China Taiping Insurance (UK) Co., Ltd., Industrial and Commercial Bank of China London Branch, China Construction Bank London Branch, GF Financial Markets (UK) Limited, ABP (London) Investment Ltd., Huawei Technologies (UK) Co., Ltd. , BYD (U.K.) Co., Ltd. were also among the attendees.

H.E Ambassador Liu Xiaoming delivered a keynote speech "Build the Bridge of Open Cooperation for All" at the dinner. He firstly congratulated the launch of "UK-China Charity" initiative, jointly formed by the CCCUK and The Lord Mayor's Appeal. He hoped and believed that this initiative will build three "bridges" between China and the UK. First, He hoped it will build a bridge of love to promote charities, to enhance the China-UK cooperation on public welfare and charities and to facilitate the development of charity work in both countries. Second, he hoped it will build a bridge of responsibility for upgrading China-UK Cooperation, to encourage Chinese businesses in the UK to fulfil their corporate responsibilities, to serve the people of two countries, to strengthen the ties between Chinese companies and the City of London and to boost China-UK trade and economic cooperation. Third, Ambassador Liu Xiaoming hoped the initiative will build a bridge to the bright future of open cooperation, to advocate openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation and to further contribute to a brighter future of open world economy. He finally wished the "UK-China Charity" initiative success and hoped it will spread love, light up hope and contribute to the China-UK "Golden Era".

Lord Mayor Alderman Peter Estlin, co-chair of the "UK-China Charity Initiative" delivered a keynote speech. As the 691st Lord Mayor, not only does he promote innovation and technology, but also address social issues. He explained that China would play an important role in his tenure due to vast amount of trade links. As Britain leaves the EU, it aims to build a "global Britain" and a new global network of trade relations. To help develop City ties with China, he will be leading a delegation next March to China to further trade and bilateral relationship specifically on Green Finance, Fintech and asset management. He also emphasized that as Co-Chairman of the Charity initiative , he will continue to follow the progress of the school to promote the development of "UK-China Charity Initiative", encouraging more people and businesses to join and enhance the cooperation between the two countries.

Mr. Geng Jinhai, Chairman of the CCCUK and co-chair of the "UK-China Charity Initiative" said in his speech that the CCCUK has been committed to serving Chinese enterprises and has continuously strengthened exchanges and cooperation between British and Chinese companies and local communities. With the acceleration of the "Golden Era" of China-UK relations, the cooperation between the CCCUK and the City of London has embarked on a new journey. He emphasised that the "UK-China Charity Initiative" will condense the resources and strength of both China and the UK, and effectively support charity work in both countries. It is the best interpretation and embodiment of the Chinese saying that "charity has no borders". Finally, he hopes that the CCCUK will take this opportunity to deepen exchanges and cooperation with local communities, contributing more to charity work and strengthening China-UK relations.

Mr John Mclean OBE, Head of China-UK relations for The Lord Mayor's Appeal, CEO of the "UK-China Charity Initiative" gave a detailed introduction to the initiative. Mr Mclean said that the funds raised through the "UK-China Charity Initiative" will support both The Lord Mayor's Appeal and the CCCUK's charity projects in China and the UK. He also introduced the first project of the "UK-China Charity Initiative" is the construction of a multi-media room for a rural School in Shaanxi Province, China. Upon completion, the room will enable the students a place to host events, video conferences as well as other educational activities. Going forward, both sides will work closely on more charity projects in China and the UK.

Witnessed by Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK and Alderman Peter Estlin, Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Mr. Geng Jinhai, Chairman of the CCCUK, and Mr John Mclean OBE, Head of China-UK relations for The Lord Mayor's Appeal.

Representatives from both sides hope more and more companies will participate in charitable activities in the future through the "UK-China Charity Initiative", contributing to a more harmonious world for people in China and the UK.