On  26 April, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang visited Liverpool and met with Lord Mayor of Liverpool Councillor Mary Rasmussen at Liverpool Town Hall. The two sides had a warm and friendly conversation on the exchanges and cooperation between China and Liverpool.

Ambassador Zheng said, Liverpool is UK’s important centre for shipping and manufacturing, with well-developed cultural, educational and sports industries. In 1999, Liverpool established sister-city relationship with Shanghai, and friendly partnerships with Chinese cities of Tianjin, Qingdao, Xi'an and Kunming. With the joint efforts from both sides, Liverpool and China have developed close exchanges and cooperation in various fields including business, education, transportation, culture, education, sports and tourism, which have brought tangible benefits to both sides.

Ambassador Zheng introduced to Lord Mayor Rasmussen the main achievements of China in coordinating epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development. He stressed that sub-national cooperation is an important part of and plays a fundamental role in China-UK relations. The Chinese government encourages Shanghai to deepen its sister-city relationship with Liverpool and supports other cities in their efforts to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Liverpool.

Lord Mayor Rasmussen welcomed Ambassador Zheng and his delegation, saying that Liverpool has had historically strong ties with China, and in recent years has seen new developments in its traditional relationship with China. Liverpool is pushing forward infrastructure and Smart City upgrades, seeking to vitalize this manufacturing and shipping centre. Cooperation with Chinese cities such as Shanghai has brought many new opportunities to Liverpool and the city values the further enhancement of sister-city relationship with Shanghai and friendly partnerships with the other Chinese cities. She said Liverpool welcomes investment by Chinese companies and will endeavour to create a favourable environment for them. Chinese students and tourists are also welcomed to come to study and do sightseeing. Liverpool is willing to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation with Shanghai and other Chinese cities in various fields such as trade, investment, education, culture, sports, tourism, and shipping, so as to benefit both peoples.

Zheng Xiyuan, China’s Consul General in Manchester, and Zhang Limin, Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, were present at the meeting.