On 30 July, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race held the awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Dock in London. The three sailing yachts representing Chinese cities achieved remarkable results in this race season, with Qingdao winning the championship, Sanya winning the sixth place and Zhuhai winning the ninth place. Ambassador Zheng Zeguang was invited to attend the final reception and the awards ceremony.
At the reception, Ambassador Zheng met with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, founder of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, and William Ward, CEO of the Clipper Ventures. Sir Robin and Mr. Ward introduced the history of the Race and its cooperation with China, saying that the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has a long-standing relationship with Qingdao and hopes to expand cooperation with Qingdao, Dalian and other Chinese cities in the future in the areas of sail boat manufacturing, crew training and city naming to jointly promote further development of sailing and windsurfing in the world. Ambassador Zheng said that sailing has a long history in China. Modern sailing and windsurfing sport have seen rapid development since the 1980s, especially with the encouragement of Olympic champions such Lee Lai Shan and Xu Lijia. Coastal cities such as Qingdao attach great importance to popularising the sport among young people. The Chinese Embassy in the UK supports the Clipper Round the World Race in expanding its exchange and cooperation with Chinese cities. After the reception, Ambassador Zheng, Sir Robin and Mr. Ward presented the championship trophy to team Qingdao.
Ambassador Zheng visited the participating Chinese athletes after the awards ceremony and congratulated them on the completion of their global sailing. He said he was delighted to see three boats named after Chinese cities win the awards. Qingdao is one of the first coastal cities in China to open up, while Sanya is an important city in Hainan Special Economic Zone and a Free Trade Port, and Zhuhai is one of the first four Special Economic Zones in China. These cities are all important gateways to China in the countries opening up and historical witnesses to this great endeavour. The Chinese cities' participation in this nautical event as title sponsors helps to raise their international visibility, promotes their exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world, and represents to the world a thriving, open and inclusive China. The Chinese athletes in the event demonstrated their professional skills and spirit, and were well received by all parties. It is of no doubt that they will inspire and motivate more young people in China to take part in sailing and windsurfing.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that China has one of the longest seafaring histories in the world, with sailing ships appearing as early as the Shang Dynasty and the "Maritime Silk Road" becoming an important channel for East-West exchanges since the Han Dynasty. The “seven voyages to the western seas by Zheng He” in the Ming Dynasty told a great story of friendship between China and the world. China's voyages were never accompanied by plunder or colonialism, but promoted the exchange of goods and the mutual appreciation between different civilisations. Today, we still remain committed to the Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, and we are willing to work together with other countries in the world, including the UK, to strengthen cooperation, jointly address various global challenges and promote the building of a Community of Shared Future for Mankind.
Counsellor Hua Mei, wife of Ambassador Zheng Zeguang, Minister Counsellor Yu Peng, Minister Counsellor Zeng Rong, Counsellor Zhang Limin and Counsellor Wang Yun from the Chinese Embassy in the UK attended the event.
The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race was founded in 1996 by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to complete a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the globe, to give ordinary people the opportunity to accomplish sailing around the world with the aid of professional sailors and specialist equipment. Named after the city or organisation participating in the race, each of these boats is led by a professional captain, a safety chief officer, and a crew of 6 to 70 people from different countries and walks of life, known as the 'ambassador crew'. Each season lasts 10 months and covers approximately 40,000 nautical miles, usually departing from the UK in September and returning to the UK in the next July. The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is considered as the most influential amateur sailing event in the world due to its long voyage and wide range of entries. Due to the pandemic, the 2019-2020 season did not close until 29 July this year. Three of the 11 competing yachts are named after Chinese cities, "Qingdao", "Sanya" and "Zhuhai ". On the 29th, after more than 40,000 nautical miles, six ocean crossings and eight stages, Qingdao won the season with a clear-cut victory. All the participating yachts were built by companies in Qingdao and the organiser promoted the Chinese sponsor cities in various ways.
