On November 3, Minister Qin Gang of the Chinese Embassy hosted a press briefing at the embassy for the journalists accompanying Prime Minister David Cameron on his visit to China. Over 10 senior editors and journalists from 9 major media organisations, including Reuters, AFP, Dow Jones Newswires, Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the Times, the Sun, the British Independent Television, etc., and the Prime Minister's Press Officer attended the briefing. Commercial Minister-Counsellor Zhou Xiaoming and other diplomats from the embassy also attended the briefing.

Minister Qin first briefed on the current state of China-UK relations, saying that at present the relations between the two countries are in a good, with smooth high-level communication, strong momentum of economic and trade cooperation and ever closer cooperation in the fields of education, culture, etc. Since coming into power, the British coalition government has continued to pursue a positive policy towards China and advocated comprehensively strengthening the bilateral dialogue and cooperation, and China-UK relations are faced with new opportunities for development. China hopes that through Prime Minister Cameron's first official visit to China, the two countries will enhance mutual political trust, deepen practical cooperation, strengthen coordination in international affairs and thus take the bilateral relations to a new level.

Minister Qin briefed on China's achievements in development and the difficulties and challenges on the road ahead, stressing that China will continue to adhere to reform and opening up, peaceful development, mutual benefit and win-win strategies. He hoped that the journalists will look at China from a comprehensive, objective and developmental perspective and help the British public to better understand China through the reports on Prime Minister Cameron's visit. Minister Qin also answered questions from the journalists.

The journalists, most of whom have never been to China, expressed their eagerness to visit China for on-the-spot coverage. They said that this event organized by the Chinese Embassy gives them some knowledge on the national conditions of China and China-UK relations, arouses their interest in China and is helpful to their report on Prime Minister Cameron’s visit to China.

The embassy also presented to the journalists books and CDs on China, and the atmosphere was warm.