On 30 April 2026, Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang attended the 2026 UK-China Spring Business Forum hosted by the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), and delivered a keynote speech. Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade Sir Chris Bryant and CBBC Chair Sir Sebastian Wood also delivered remarks. Around 200 representatives from the UK government, businesses, academia and the media were present.
In his speech, Ambassador Zheng noted that China is closely following developments in the Middle East. During a recent meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President Xi Jinping put forward a four-point proposal on maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, stressing the importance of upholding the principles of Peaceful Coexistence, state sovereignty, international law, and a balanced approach to development and security. The proposal fully reflects China’s consistent position and active efforts to promote peace, end conflict, and advocate dialogue as a means of resolving differences. It represents a Chinese solution for advancing the political settlement of the conflict and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that, in the face of accelerating changes unseen in a century, China remains firmly committed to advancing high-quality development and Chinese modernisation, thus contributing positive energy to the world with its own stability and certainty. This year marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. China’s economy made a strong start in the first quarter, with major economic indicators beating expectations. GDP grew by 5% year on year; value added of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 6.1% year on year; total imports and exports of goods rose by 15% year on year; and 2.99 million new urban jobs were created. These figures fully demonstrate the strong resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy. The continued rapid development of high-tech industries shows that attempts by certain countries to impose technological blockades on China have not worked; instead, they have spurred greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology. Robust export growth proves the rising competitiveness of Chinese products and their alignment with global market demand. Opening markets to Chinese products will help European countries in particular to reduce the cost of living, accelerate clean energy development, and mitigate the impact of the Middle East situation on energy supplies.
Ambassador Zheng said that the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China recently held a meeting to assess China’s current economic situation and make arrangements for economic work going forward. China will implement a more proactive fiscal policy and an appropriately accommodative monetary policy in a targeted and effective manner, and will focus on stabilising employment, enterprises, markets and expectations. Efforts will be made to unlock the potential of domestic demand, expand the supply of quality goods and services, and promote consumption upgrading. More will be done to strengthen the planning and development of water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, next-generation communication networks, urban underground pipeline networks and logistics networks. The “AI Plus” initiative will be fully implemented to foster new forms of smart economy. Despite the challenges ahead, China has full confidence in achieving its economic and social development goals for the year.
Ambassador Zheng emphasised that China-UK economic and trade cooperation has enormous potential and broad prospects. The two sides should follow through on the important common understandings reached by the leaders of the two countries and the outcomes of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China, uphold mutual respect, mutual benefit, openness and inclusiveness, and create a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from both countries. Both sides should encourage their businesses to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade and investment, financial services, clean energy, medicine and healthcare, and cultural and creative industries, and to promote the continued development of China-UK relations along the track of a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership.
