Interview: Britain eyes broader green partnership with China: top British diplomat

Source: Xinhua| 2019-04-28 21:05:10|Editor: Li Xia
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BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Britain will showcase its green innovation strength at the Beijing Horticultural Expo and eyes broader collaboration with China for a green future, British Trade Commissioner for China Richard Burn has said.

As a country of honor, Britain will have a major presence at the Beijing Expo, Burn told Xinhua in a recent interview. "We are very exciting to use this opportunity to promote UK as a leader in green technology and sustainability."

Standing in the middle of the Expo site, the 2,000-square-meter British exhibition area of pavilion and gardens is designed by leading British designers. It is featured with beautiful outdoor gardens of grasses and flowers, a Gin terrace as well as indoor structure, Burn explained.

The theme of the British exhibition, Innovating for a Greener Future, fits in the overall Expo theme Live Green, Live Better. The space is built with recyclable structures to lower carbon emissions, he said.

Slated for April 29, the 162-day expo is poised to impress some 16 million visitors from China and abroad.

"There will be over 100 pavilions to visit. We hope we have one of the most beautiful gardens," Burn said, adding that Britain will deliver a program of events demonstrating its innovative strength in agri-tech, clean energy, green finance and future cities throughout the six months.

"Our sponsors and British companies would take this opportunity to promote their collaboration with China, and UK businesses will identify new chances particularly with Chinese provincial governments," he added.

The Kew Gardens, British Royal Botanic Gardens, will be a major sponsor of the British Exhibition. It will take a leading position in collaboration with China on biodiversity and bioscience in the future, and have a themed year in China in 2021, Burn unveiled.

Britain is famous for its gardening and horticulture, and garden is part of the country's national pastime. The idea of living in harmony with nature helps build a peaceful and quiet way of life, Burn said, adding that many of the plants that the British people are familiar with originally came from China, like roses, orchids and wistaria.

The basic theme of the Beijing Expo is horticulture, but Britain looks for much broader form of green collaboration with China. "President Xi has made it very clear that protecting the environment and green innovation is very important, so we see opportunities for British companies to work with China," he said.

The two partners are making joint efforts to build a green Belt and Road. For instance, Britain's Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult signed an agreement with Tsinghua University Science Park last September to build a collaborative research center in Yantai, Shandong province to promote offshore wind programs in both countries.

Given that China is the world's largest potential offshore wind market, Britain accounts for 30 percent of the global offshore wind capacity and has world-leading experience in this regard. "We see huge opportunities to further our collaboration with China," the British trade commissioner said.

Nuclear energy is another area where the two countries could further their cooperation, he added.

"China has good new nuclear technology we could use in the UK. Meanwhile, we would like to see more UK companies participating in Chinese nuclear program particularly in decommissioning nuclear plants where UK has a lot of expertise."

After leaving the European Union, Britain will be following "a much more dynamic" global agenda. It will look for stronger relations with China. "The Beijing Expo will create more opportunities for our governments and businesses to work together to create a greener world," Burn said.

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