Network for British nationals with China experience launched in London

The Chinese Embassy and the British Council here on Friday launched a new network for British citizens with working or study experience in China.

Named "Generation UK: China Network," the forum aims to deepen British nationals' engagement with China.

Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said at the inauguration that the network was the natural outcome of decades of student exchanges between China and Britain.

About 35,000 British students have studied in China over the past 40 years, and now among the more than 377,000 world students in China, 7,000 are from Britain.

"I firmly believe that the China Network has a most active and key role to play as China and the UK embark on a golden era of relations. I believe it has a vital role to help facilitate the implementation of Chinese and British government policies with regard to student exchange," Liu said.

Martin Donnelly, Permanent Secretary for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, said over the years ahead, the network would at the center of a growing level of cooperation, friendship and trust between Britain and China.

Liu also announced a new short-term Chinese government scholarship scheme at the ceremony, which will run in parallel to a long-term scholarship and the Confucius Institute Scholarship. In the academic year 2016-2017, this short-term scheme will fund 150 British university students for a two-month study or internship in China.

The new network is a key element of a larger campaign of British Council named "Generation UK-China," which was launched in June 2013. The campaign aims to develop a new generation of globally-mobile, culturally-agile, young people who can succeed and compete in an increasingly borderless marketplace and help cultivate a "China-ready" workforce in Britain.

Through this campaign, the number of British students who have study or work experience in China is expect to reach 80,000 by 2020. Endit