According to the website of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, on April 24, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Ze Guang attended the Tianjin Investment Environment Promotion Conference in London and delivered a keynote speech. Vice Mayor of Tianjin City Zhai Lixin and Sir George Underhill, Chairman of the China-Britain Trade Association, among others, delivered speeches. Nearly 200 people from all walks of life in China and the UK attended the event. The full text of Ambassador Zheng Ze Guang's speech is as follows:
Vice Mayor Zhai Lixin,
Sir George Underhill, Chairman of the China-Britain Trade Association,
President Fang Wenjian,
Vice President Hu Anju,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
Good afternoon!
I am very pleased to attend this Tianjin Investment Environment Promotion Conference. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Vice Mayor Zhai Lixin and the Tianjin Delegation, and express sincere gratitude to all the guests attending today's event.
Tianjin has unique geographical advantages, historically being the gateway guarding the capital region, and it is the shipping, commercial, and manufacturing center in northern China. Since the reform and opening-up, especially entering a new era, Tianjin has achieved tremendous accomplishments in its economic and social development. I have been to Tianjin several times. What first caught my eye were rows of high-rise buildings, the charming streets where tradition meets modernity, and the beautiful scenery along the Haihe River.
Today, Tianjin has become a national advanced manufacturing R&D base, the northern international shipping core area, a financial innovation operation demonstration zone, and an opening-up pioneer zone. It is striving to build itself into an important strategic fulcrum for connecting domestic and international dual circulation in northern China. The open and inclusive, forward-looking Tianjin will provide broad space for mutually beneficial cooperation for companies from all countries.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Tianjin's development is a microcosm of China's development. At present, China is advancing the modernization of socialism with Chinese characteristics in an all-round way according to the deployment of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee. Our goal is to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035 and build a prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and beautiful socialist modern power by the middle of this century. No matter how the international situation changes or what risks and challenges we face, we will unswervingly achieve our predetermined goals.
Recently, the United States announced so-called "reciprocal tariffs" on virtually all trading partners including China and the UK. This practice openly violates WTO rules, severely undermines the multilateral trading system, seriously impacts the global economy, and severely damages the legitimate interests of various countries. It is a typical case of unilateralism, protectionism, and trade bullying. What the US has done is going backward in history, attempting to drag the world back to the dark age of the law of the jungle.
Now the international community can see more clearly who are the disruptors of the international order and who are the violators of the multilateral trading system!
In the face of irrational actions by the US, China firmly opposes them and has taken necessary countermeasures. China stands up not only to defend its own legitimate rights and interests but also to uphold fairness and justice in the international community and safeguard the multilateral trading system. In the past few days, the US side has been sending contradictory and confusing signals. On one hand, they continue to impose maximum pressure on China, claiming they want to impose more than 3500% tariffs on some Asian countries. On the other hand, they say they will significantly reduce tariffs on China. These tricks are merely aimed at reducing their own losses and influencing the capital market.
China has long pointed out that there are no winners in tariff wars or trade wars. China does not want to fight, nor is it afraid to fight. If fighting, we will see it through to the end; if negotiating, the door remains open. Currently, there have been no consultations or negotiations between China and the US regarding tariff issues. If the US really wants to resolve problems through dialogue and negotiation, it should immediately stop extreme pressure, threats, and blackmail. Dialogue and negotiation must be equal, respectful, and mutually beneficial.
At this critical moment, the international community should unite to jointly resist unilateralism and trade bullying. Otherwise, not only the economies of various countries will be affected, but the entire global trading system will be impacted. Appeasement and compromise offer no way out and will only embolden the aggressors. Only by firmly opposing and resisting can the aggressors change their ways.
The UK has long advocated free and open trade. We hope that the UK will choose to stand on the right side of history and on the side of multilateralism and the majority of the international community on this major principle issue.
Ladies and gentlemen,
How is China's economy performing under the current international backdrop?
In the first quarter of 2025, China's GDP grew by 5.4%, with a smooth start and a good beginning for the national economy. Retail sales of consumer goods increased by 4.6%, fixed asset investment nationwide grew by 4.2%, industrial added value of enterprises above designated size increased by 6.5%, and the added value of the service sector grew by 5.3%. The total import and export of goods reached 10.3 trillion yuan, with exports achieving a growth rate of 6.9%. These facts fully demonstrate that the policy "combination punches" we have introduced in recent years, including expanding domestic demand, stabilizing foreign investment and foreign trade, developing new productivity, and promoting high-level opening-up, have been positive and effective. China's economy has strong resilience and intrinsic momentum.
While pursuing its own development, China will unswervingly promote high-level opening-up and share development opportunities with the world. China's overall tariff level has already dropped to 7.3%. Just today, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly released the "Market Access Negative List (2025 Edition)", reducing the number of list items from 117 in the 2022 edition to 106, further relaxing market access restrictions. China will continue to introduce measures to attract foreign investment and strengthen services for foreign-funded enterprises. China has a stable and predictable policy environment, a super-large market of over 1.4 billion people, the most complete industrial system in the world, and continuously improving market-oriented, rule-of-law-based, and internationalized business environments. We welcome companies from all countries, including the UK, to invest and start businesses in China, grow together with the Chinese economy, and achieve mutual benefits. Now is the best time to invest in China!
Ladies and gentlemen,
Recently, several senior officials of the British government have reiterated that the UK wishes to deepen economic partnerships with China and emphasized that it is very foolish not to engage with China. Meanwhile, a few anti-China politicians continue to slander and defame Chinese enterprises, shouting that "Chinese investments are unsafe" and "over-reliance on China should be avoided." These people are just a minority. Their arrogance, ignorance, and distorted mindset make them live in the 21st century but think like they are still in the 19th century. They fail to see that Chinese investments create jobs, increase tax revenues, bring advanced technology and productivity to the UK, and fail to see that UK investments in China have brought huge benefits to British companies and that exports have created about 500,000 jobs in the UK.
Today's China is no longer the semi-colonial, semi-feudal, poor, and backward country of the 19th century. China is the world's second-largest economy and the second-largest consumer market, the world's largest manufacturer, and the world's largest goods trading nation. China needs the world, and the world needs China!
There is vast room for cooperation between China and the UK. We hope that the UK will work with China toward the same goal, providing a fair, just, non-discriminatory, and predictable business environment for companies from both countries. Both sides should make joint efforts to create new highlights in financial services, clean energy, artificial intelligence cooperation, and expand pragmatic cooperation in trade, biomedicine, education, culture, tourism, and creative industries, creating more tangible benefits for the people of both countries.
We hope that today's promotion conference will help the British public understand the cooperation opportunities brought by Tianjin and better recognize a real China. Later, British institutions and enterprises will hold a cooperation signing ceremony with Tianjin. I would like to congratulate everyone in advance!
Thank you!
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497036980916830772/
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