The Chinese Ambassador, His Excellency Zheng Zeguang, was the guest speaker at a ‘Dialogue with the Ambassador’ charity fundraising dinner on 14 June joined by 100 guests from the Chinese and British communities and held at the Home Grown Club, Central London.
It is rare to secure the most senior representative of the Chinese government in the UK – particularly when the event host is a small, independent educational charity called Engage with China (EwC). The event was timely in light of comments by Baroness Martha Lane Fox, entrepreneur business woman and President of the British Chambers of Commerce, whose article in The Times last week said, “China is key for all of us so wise up and don’t miss out!” The event also preceded the visit by US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, to Beijing this week which heralded a move to stabilise relations with China.
A Director of EwC, ‘H-J’ Colston-Inge, is a Mandarin speaker. She was invited to meet President Xi Jinping during his State Visit to the UK in 2015. During her speech at the event, H-J said, “I dare you to be risk-takers. To be counter-cultural. To engage more with China.”
The vision of EwC is to build a China-literate generation in the UK by sparking the imagination about the world’s second largest economy. As H-J says, “whether we like it or not, the fact is that China’s influence and impact is being felt everywhere.” H-J added that “At this Dialogue event, we provided a unique platform to uncover the human side of China-UK relations via a more informal chat with the Ambassador rather than a dry speech. The Ambassador was very responsive and personal in his responses. History is so often influenced by individuals and so the more engagement we can create that enables people to understand and appreciate different cultural nuances, the better prospects are for building positive dialogue and trust.”
She added, “we are committed to building competitive edge in schools, and to do this we need to build global awareness around China, despite the current geo-political backdrop. We believe that this will not only enrich the lives of our young people but also enable them to flourish in a future where China is increasingly significant.”
The event included a networking reception, speeches and an interview with the Ambassador. When asked by Co-Director, Theresa Booth, what one thing would Ambassador Zheng want a young person in the UK to know about China,” he answered,
“First of all, thanks to Theresa and H-J at Engage with China. Your work is so touching. All diplomacy is about people. Tonight is about people and enabling us to talk together and where we can talk freely. Thank you for all you have done over all these years. Secondly, China is a country with a long history and a lot to be proud of. It is also full of challenges. The best way to deal with China is to learn more about China.”
Ambassador Zheng Zeguang, Dialogue with the Ambassador event, 14 June 2023
Recognising the importance of this event, sponsors included some of the biggest global corporate names. Diamond Sponsor for the event was Cranswick Plc, one of the largest British food-producing companies with annual revenues in excess of £1.4bn. Cranswick’s Chief Operating Office, Neil Willis said, “Cranswick have been exporting British pork to China since 2012, and we value the relationships we have built over the last 11 years. We are proud to support this event and are keen to further develop our trade partnerships.” Other sponsors included Savills, a global property company, Hurun Inc. which compiles the China Rich List, and FOSUN, a conglomerate.
The Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, former Group Chairman of HSBC, said a few words via a video link saying that “there is nothing more important in this day and age [than learning about China].” Other notable guests included The Rt. Hon. Sir Vince Cable, former Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (and who is also a Patron of the charity), Robin Walker, MP for Worcester and a member of the Education Select Committee and Lewis Neal, Director for Economic Diplomacy at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
Jing Wei, whose clients include e-commerce giant Alibaba, is Managing Director of creative UK- China communication agency UK Sunshine Digital. She said that, “this ‘Dialogue with the Ambassador’ event was not only a charity event, but also one of this year’s great cultural exchange opportunities between China and the UK. At this event, business representatives from China and the UK gathered together to promote the mission of Engage with China; this was one of the best events in London this year.” Other sponsors included luxury watch winder heritage company Rapport London, Corbook, a B2B platform, the IoD City Branch and international law firm, Wedlake Bell LLP.
Lili Zhang, Head of UK Asia Pacific Department, Savills, who attended the event said, “China is the world’s second largest economy and Savills UK looks forward to strengthening our connections with China.”
EwC’s work is focussed mainly in primary and secondary schools. Mark Fenton, CEO of the Grammar Schools Heads’ Association said, “Schools & educators need to help youngsters to thrive in very uncertain conditions. China is a subject that, for many people, is in the “too difficult box.” In terms of helping youngsters understand how the world is going to be in the next 50 years, I think that China needs to be very much a part of that.”
Co-Director, Theresa Booth, added, “Engage with China’s name reflects the fact that cultural engagement and dialogue is part of its mission. This event played an important part in that by enabling people to meet together, understand and appreciate different cultural nuances and thereby build better prospects for greater positive dialogue and trust.”
Thank you to our sponsors and supporters for enabling this event to take place and to build vital funds to expand the work of EwC in UK schools.
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