On 24 April 2025, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang attended the Tianjin Investment Environment Promotion Conference in London and delivered a keynote speech. On China-UK relations, Ambassador Zheng noted that senior UK officials have been making the case for a deeper partnership with China and stressed that it will be foolish not to engage with China. In the meantime, however, some anti-China politicians are making irritating noises. They try in all ways to smear Chinese enterprises. They claim that Chinese investment is not safe and that there is too much dependence on China. They are just a small minority. As a result of their arrogance, ignorance, and twisted mentality, while their bodies may be in the 21st century, their minds remain stuck in the 19th century. They are not seeing the benefits of Chinese investment in the UK. They are not seeing that these investment is actually creating jobs and tax revenue and introducing advanced technology and productivity into the UK. They are not seeing the benefits of doing business with China. UK exports to China support half a million jobs in the UK and investment in China yields good returns.

Ambassador Zheng emphasised that China is no longer a poor and backward country and an easy target for bully. China is the world’s second largest economy, second biggest consumer market, and biggest manufacturer and trader in goods. China needs the world. The world also needs China.

Ambassador Zheng pointed out that there is abundant space for practical cooperation between China and the UK. He called on the UK side to work in the same direction with the Chinese side, to create a predictable, just, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for companies of the two countries to cooperate. The two sides should create new highlights of cooperation in financial services, clean energy and AI, and expand practical cooperation in trade, biomedicine, education, culture, tourism and creative industries, to bring about more visible and tangible benefits for the people of both countries.