Chinese Ambassador visits the University

20 Dec 2018

The Chinese Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Mr Liu Xiaoming, visited with his wife, several senior staff from the Chinese Embassy and the Consulate in Manchester and the Consul General Mr Zheng Xiyuan

His Excellency Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, inspired the next generation of innovators during a keynote speech at the National Graphene Institute, demonstrating the strong bond between the University and China and the benefits of partnership working.

Concluding his tour of the University, Ambassador Liu said it was his third campus visit since 2015, the last time as part of President Xi’s state visit to Manchester. This visit was just as symbolic as it coincided with the 40th anniversary of the opening up of the Chinese economy to international markets.

In his speech, Ambassador Liu stated he was impressed by the University’s discipline and innovative spirit which complemented the UK’s research strengths in science, artificial intelligence, healthcare, ageing and green growth. There is also a link between the University and China’s expertise in urban transformation, engineering, technology, aerospace and nuclear energy. With this, the Ambassador commented he saw potential University-China partnerships around the regeneration of rust belt areas and building green, smart cities of the future.

He said: "I sincerely hope that the University of Manchester will continue to leverage its strengths, deepen cooperation with China on innovation in the spirit of “knowledge, wisdom and humanity”, and enhance exchanges in personnel training and technology. I am sure you will become a leading brand of China-UK cooperation on innovation."

The Ambassador, accompanied by Madam Huping Hua, was hosted by Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University, the Confucius Institute and the Manchester China Institute.

The Ambassador's full speech can be found on the Embassy website.