In the evening of 13 June, Charge d'Affairs Zhang Lirong attended the 2008 China Research Festival closing reception hosted by University College London (UCL) and delivered a speech. Over a hundred people including UCL President and Provost Malcolm Grant and directors of relevant departments, people from technology communities in both China and UK and UCL alumnus attended the reception. It was presided over by UCL Vice Provost Professor Yip.

Zhang Lirong first congratulated the success of UCL China R&D Festival and thanked UCL for its commitments and achievements in technology cooperation with China.

Zhang Lirong said that technology cooperation featured prominently in bilateral relations. In recent years, both China and UK place innovation at the core of their development strategy. China is dedicated to the building of an innovative country. It values its technology cooperation with UK. The two countries are highly complementary in science and technology. There are broad prospects and great potentials for technology cooperation between China and UK.

Zhang Lirong said that when Prime Minister Brown visited China in January, he and Premier Wen Jiabao reached consensus of closer cooperation in five key areas including joint innovation and intellectual property rights (IPR) protection. Innovation China-UK (ICUK) Science Bridge Scheme, Clean Energy and Renewable Energy Scheme and Near Zero Emission projected were launched and implemented successfully. Last year the first office of Research Council UK (RCUK) was opened in Beijing, which fully showed the willingness and commitments of the British side in promoting cooperation between research institutes of the two countries.

In April this year the 5th meeting of China-UK Joint Science & Technology Committee was convened in London. Both sides agreed on six key areas of technology cooperation, including climate change, energy and environment, stem cell research and modernization of traditional medicine, prevention of epidemic, nanotechnology, space technology and innovation policy. This laid a solid foundation for technology cooperation between China and UK in the immediate and medium-term.

Zhang Lirong also briefed his audience on the progress of earthquake rescue and relief in Sichuan. He expressed his thanks to the Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre for providing timely satellite pictures of earthquake and suggestions to the Chinese side. He also took the chance to thank once again the British government and people for their sympathy and support to the people in the disaster areas. He said that the Chinese side welcomed valuable suggestions and cooperation initiatives from UCL and other research institutes on post-disaster construction.

Zhang Lirong pointed out that UCL had cooperation with nearly 70 partners in many disciplines of natural science and social science and played an important demo role in technology cooperation between China and UK. Many talented Chinese youngsters were studying and working in UCL. He wished more results in the cooperation between UCL and its Chinese partners.

Grant said that in the meeting researchers of both sides listed and discussed cooperation projects in a number of areas including sustainable city, archeology, bio-medicine, materials, environment and mapping. It is gratifying to see the width and depth of cooperation between UCL and China, which shows the world vision of the UCL in outward cooperation and its aspiration and confidence in its cooperation with the Chinese partners. He also expressed his thanks to the embassy for its important role in promoting bilateral exchange.