On 22 November 2023, H.E. Ambassador Zheng Zeguang attended the opening ceremony of the second China-UK Forum and delivered a keynote speech titled "Building Better Bridges for Mutually Beneficial Cooperation". The forum was hosted by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) with the theme of "Building Bridges: Advancing China-UK Economic Relations for a Sustainable Future." Around 200 guests attended the forum, including senior representatives from major British financial institutions, government officials, entrepreneurs and academia.

Ambassador Zheng noted that, this year, despite a daunting external environment, China has been advancing Chinese modernisation and China’s economy has been steadily recovering and turning for the better. China’s economic growth is now higher value-added and greener. Western media has painted a grim picture of China’s development prospects. But facts speak louder than words. The reality is China’s economy has not only ranked among the top of major economies this year, but also enjoys more prominent strengths for the long term. China remains committed to advancing high-standard opening up and has opened a new chapter for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, which will inject strong impetus into global connectivity, development and prosperity.

Ambassador Zheng pointed out that China has all along stood on the side of peace and justice, all along pursued friendship and cooperation with all countries, and all along played a constructive role in the settlement of regional and international hotspot issues. The Summit Meeting between the Chinese and US Presidents in San Francisco pointed the way for the growth of China-US relations and injected stability into a volatile and changing world. China and the EU have witnessed frequent high-level exchanges and new progress in their practical cooperation which have brought enormous benefits to both sides and provided positive energy for world peace and development.

The Ambassador emphasised that, to grow China-UK relations, the two countries need to develop the right perspective, respect each other, pursue mutually beneficial cooperation and join hands in tackling challenges. People with insight from all sectors in both countries, especially the business community, must proceed with confidence and be down to earth, build better bridges for mutually beneficial cooperation, so as to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples and lay a more solid foundation for the steady and sustained growth of China-UK relations.