CCG’s UK Visit Aims to Promote Bilateral Relations
As the Sino-UK relations entered into another Golden Era, CCG took its “Track II” Diplomacy to the UK, speaking at several high-profile events about how to leverage potential opportunities to further promote the bilateral relations.
On June 19, 2018, CCG President Wang Huiyao was invited to the Margaret Thatcher Conference on China and Britain held by the Centre for Policy Studies at the London City Hall, which gathered around 600 participants, including Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field, Chairman of China-Britain Business Council Lord Sassoon, and Chairman of Centre for Policy Studies Lord Saatchi, to discuss China’s impact on the world and the prospect of the China-UK relations.
As the only representative from a Chinese think tank, Wang joined the panel “Technology and Innovation” along with Professor Niall Ferguson from the Harvard University and Co-founder and Partner of Canyon Bridge Ray Bingham to explore the potential for the China-UK cooperation in this field.
The Centre for Policy Studies is renown think tank for the conservative party, which was created to provide intellectual support and policy advice for the conservative party and its administration. The Margaret Thatcher Conference on China and Britain is one of the highest-profile political conferences focused on diplomatic and trade issues in the UK.
On June 20, President Wang Huiyao and Secretary General Miao Lu visited another top British think tank – the Institute of Development Studies in Brighton, which is known for sustainable development studies. Established in 1966, the think tank currently hires over 200 researchers and involves more than 200 students. According to the 2017 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report by the University of Pennsylvania, it was ranked the world’s No. 2 think tank for international development studies. In the discussion at IDS, Wang shared his analysis about the current situation of the Chinese development and globalization as well as the experience in building think tanks in China.
On June 22 -23, Wang and Miao arrived at the University of Edinburg to attend the event that celebrated the 30th anniversary of Chinese Economic Association, along with dozens of senior scholars from the schools including University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Tsinghua University and Beijing University, to speak about innovation, globalization and social responsibilities. Based on the new findings of CCG research, Wang presented the new trends in globalization and global governance and pointed out the major challenges and opportunities facing China in this process. The CEA is a non-profit organization established in 1988 by Chinese scholars, students and companies based in the UK and dedicated to the studies on China’s economic development. In the past 30 years, it has become one of the most influential overseas Chinese academic associations.
CCG’s visit to the UK took place as China marks the 40th anniversary for the reform and opening-up policy and moves into a new era of developing the relations with the UK. Through this trip, CCG has achieved the goal in its “Track II” diplomacy and made great contribution to deepening mutual understanding and promoting the bilateral cooperation.
