On 25 May 2025, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang attended the opening ceremony of the 11th UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. The event was co-hosted by the Xinhua Chinese Association (XCA), the Salford City Council and the British Dragon Boat Racing Association. Over 50 dragon boat teams from London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool and Cambridge participated in the race. Local dignitaries including Deputy Mayor for Greater Manchester and Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett and Lord Mayor of Manchester Carmine Grimshaw, Chinese community leaders including XCA President Xu Yanzhong and Chairman of the London Chinatown Chinese Association Tang Chuting, wife of Ambassador Zheng Zeguang Madam Hua Mei, Chinese Consul General to Manchester Tang Rui, and General Manager of Bank of China London Branch Fang Wenjian joined British people from various sectors in watching the race. 

In his remarks, Ambassador Zheng extended warm congratulations on the event. He said that the Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional holiday observed by the Chinese people to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, and that the dragon boat racing, an important activity of the festival, has long been celebrated and is now widely embraced around the world. Thanks to the active promotion by Chinese community organisations like the Xinhua Chinese Association and the strong support of the Salford City Council, the UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival has become the most influential Dragon Boat Festival event in Europe and a cultural hallmark of Salford, symbolising the spirit of unity, cooperation, friendship and the pursuit of excellence.

Ambassador Zheng noted that the Chinese community in Greater Manchester is working hard, actively giving back to the local community, and playing an important role in promoting local growth and cultural exchanges between China and the UK. He underscored that China values its cooperation with Greater Manchester and will continue to support closer exchanges and cooperation in such fields as trade, technological innovation, education, culture and sports between Chinese cities like Tianjin, Wuhan and Yangzhou and British cities like Manchester and Salford, to deliver greater benefits to the people of both sides.

Mayor Dennett and Lord Mayor Grimshaw spoke highly of the Chinese community’s contribution to local economic and social development. They noted that the UK Chinese Dragon Boat Festival has grown into the largest dragon boat event in Europe and a major showcase of traditional Chinese culture. They expressed hope that the festival would further promote people-to-people exchanges and wide-ranging cooperation between the two countries and the friendship between the two peoples.

Ambassador Zheng joined the Chinese and British guests in cutting the ribbon for the opening ceremony, presenting paddles to the participating teams, and awarding prizes. Prior to the event, Ambassador Zheng had separate meetings with local dignitaries including Salford Mayor Dennett and Chinese community leaders including XCA President Xu.