7 February 2008
The Prime Minister has sent his “warmest wishes” to those celebrating the Chinese New Year. Mr Brown said he hoped hope the upcoming Beijing Olympics will be “the best ever”.
Read the address
I’m delighted to have this opportunity to send you my warmest wishes for the Chinese New Year.
The year of the rat will be a momentous one for China. Your country will host the Olympic Games in August and the world will see how fast China has developed in three decades of reform.
During my visit last month I witnessed the vision of the Beijing games becoming a reality. I hope these Olympics will be the best ever, and I am proud that you will be passing the Olympic torch to us as the games close.
And I believe 2008 will be an auspicious year for relations between China and the UK. We both believe in the benefits of globalisation, and it was clear to me on my visit that our economic strengths are complementary.
The UK is a hub for global services, whilst china is a powerhouse in manufacturing. We are both centres of innovation and entrepreneurship. We both benefit from open trade and investment. And we are both finding greater and greater opportunities in each other’s economies.
We are becoming more and more interdependent economically.
I particularly welcome the growing contacts between our young people - the new and expanded initiatives to bring more Chinese students to the UK and to give more British students the opportunity to experience China first hand.
And I am committed to looking at how we can increase even further the teaching of English in China and Chinese in the UK.
Hong Kong provides a very special connection between us, and since 1997 has truly become a bridge not a barrier to better relations. I continue to wish the people of Hong Kong my very best.
As we move forward, maintaining international support for economic openness and ensuring that development is sustainable are two significant challenges ahead.
Climate change threatens all our interests, and I am committed to working closely with your leaders to find new ways of reconciling economic growth with environmental responsibility. I firmly believe that this can be an economic opportunity, and not a threat.
During my visit, I also welcomed the public statement of support by china for the millennium development goals. Reaching these goals continues to be a key objective for this government, and China’s rapid growth in trade with developing countries - as well as its increased development assistance - can be a real force for good in helping the international community achieve this.
And it is equally important that we understand each others cultures if we are to collaborate effectively to meet these global challenges. I give my wholehearted support to the forthcoming ‘China Now’ festival, the largest ever celebration of Chinese culture in the UK and one which I’m sure will showcase the very best of modern China.
So, as the New Year approaches, I wish you and your families all happiness, good health and good fortune for the year ahead.
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