Opposing China and restricting trade won't halt its progress or benefit the UK and Europe; rather, openness, modernization and innovation highlighted by Chinese president Xi Jinping at the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) reflect shared global aspirations, according to Jack Perry, chairman of the 48 Group on Thursday.
Jack Perry, chairman of the 48 Group, a London-based nonprofit organization with over 600 British and Chinese members dedicated to promoting Sino-British relations, recently led a significant delegation tour to China, engaging with over 100 companies and high-ranking government officials to strengthen economic tie-ups.
When Perry talked about the trip, he highlighted the biotech and biopharmaceutical cooperation between the two countries and noted a strong eagerness from the UK side to explore possibilities in China.
"We just recently went to Beijing when we signed a strategic agreement with the Beijing Economic-Technology Development Zone for biotech and biopharmaceuticals. So we took Christopher Evans there, the chairman of Ellipses, and Ellipses is a cancer development company in the UK and they're doing a lot of work here. But also their biggest drug is a Chinese drug and what they've done with it is phenomenal, and it shows what can be done with the UK and with China in high technology," he said in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions, he said he could sense China's vigorous drive for trade and cooperation.
"I think it's the geopolitical situation has made people weary, so I think when business go there, they're trying to find out what is really possible and as soon as you get there, you find out there's a hunger from the Chinese side to do trade and to do a lot of business, and we're seeing that," he said.
Looking ahead, Perry believes that western countries' containment and restrictions will not stop China's development, emphasizing the need for British companies to pursue partnerships with China.
"I think if you're looking at stance against China, it's a time where you think, okay, you can do that and you can make that position against China, but it's not gonna make a huge difference. China is gonna continue, [and] they are gonna accelerate. And how does that help our economy? We're not in a good stance right now. We need to grow and we're not doing, so we need to look where is investment coming into. You look at China, our fourth biggest trade nation in the world. So we need to find out where those policies are, how we can attract the investment, and how UK companies can explore working in partnership with other nations," he said.
He also believes that cooperation and openness bear vibrant significance today.
"When you look at partnerships, one of the key partnerships around the world is China. So if you ignore it or you don't go there, you take a huge amount of access away from your companies. Companies here in the UK, we benefit hugely to be able to do business in China, because their focus is outward thinking and open up and modernization right now," the chairman said.
Regarding the message he absorbed from the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, held from Monday to Thursday in Beijing, Perry noted that Xi's focus on openness, modernization, innovation and reform aligns with the interests of all countries, presenting a positive outlook for global companies seeking trade and cooperation with China.
"I think the whole world is watching right now what's coming out of China from the third plenum. I think you've seen that Xi Jinping has talked about opening up, modernization, innovation, reform in key areas. I think the connectivity of what China are trying to do match up to what we're trying to do here in the UK and countries around the world for openness. I think there's a lot of opportunities ahead. I think the benefits that have come out from the plenum today are actually somewhere where the companies can say, okay, there's possibilities to be able to go to China and work with China," he said.
CPC third plenum reflects shared global aspirations: chairman of UK 48 Group
CPC third plenum reflects shared global aspirations: chairman of UK 48 Group
CPC third plenum reflects shared global aspirations: chairman of UK 48 Group
