A high level delegation from Yunnan visited London recently. UK-China Film Collab Founder & Director Dr Hiu Man Chan was invited to accompany UK business leaders to receive the guests at the Guild Hall, in the City of London.

In the long history of Sino-British friendly exchanges, Yunnan plays an important role. On October 16th, 1986, Queen Elizabeth II visited Kunming and visited the Xishan Scenic Area and Yunnan University for Nationalities in Kunming.

On March 4, 2015, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, England, arrived in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province for a visit. This is the third time that members of the British royal family visited Yunnan after Queen Elizabeth II visited Yunnan in 1986.

In recent years, the economic and trade cooperation between Yunnan and Britain has become increasingly close. In 2022, the total import and export volume of Yunnan and Britain was 2.74 billion yuan.

By the end of 2022, Britain had invested in 84 enterprises in Yunnan, with a cumulative investment of US$ 440 million, making Britain the fourth largest source of foreign investment in Yunnan.

Diageo, a well-known British wine company, invested 500 million yuan in Eryuan County, Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and the construction of the first China-made whiskey distillery under the group has progressed smoothly.

Yunnan has the geographical advantage of internal introduction and external communication. Yunnan is a gateway and bridgehead open to South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean Rim, which can efficiently link the domestic market of 1.4 billion people with the international market of South Asia, Southeast Asia and 2.3 billion people.

Yunnan has the ecological advantages of green water and green mountains, and the quality of ecological environment remains in the forefront of the country. The forest area, stock volume and coverage rate rank second, third and fourth respectively in the country. In 2022, the ratio of days with excellent urban air quality ranks first in the country.

Yunnan has a unique resource advantage, with rich resources such as agriculture, green energy, non-ferrous metals and tourism. Yunnan has a rich labor force advantage, with a labor force population of 30.06 million, accounting for 3.43% of the country. Every year, more than 15 million rural laborers are transferred to employment, and 350,000 college graduates this year.

King Charles is famously known for his passion in protecting the environment. It’s not the first time that the King has been invited by China to deliver an address, such as in 2021 at the COP 15 UN Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, Yunnan.

Also in 2021, in order to celebrate the World Elephant Day, working closely with China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Fund, we proudly co-produced a video installation at the new metro station in Kunming Yunnan, to raise more awareness about elephant conservation.

Yunnan is a strategic area where Britain can focus its conversation on biodiversity and the environment, following a long track record of engagement. The delegation’s visit to London is no doubt a symbolic and meaningful event and UK-China Film Collab is pleased to have been present as a witness.

List of Attendees

YUNNAN DELEGATION

Mr He Lianghu Vice Chairman Yunnan Provincial Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference

Mr Li Yong Director-General Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese & Foreign Affairs, Yunnan
Provincial Committee of CPPCC

Ms Wen Yan Juan Deputy Chairman Yunnan Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese

Mr Tan Wei Deputy Director General Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province

Mr Hao Kun Deputy Director General Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Republic of Yunnan Province

Mr Liu Shun Kun Representative Foreign Investment Management division of Department of Commerce, Yunnan Province

Mr Xub Jiazheng Chairman China Yunnan Sunny Road & Bridge Co Ltd

Mr Zou Chengzheng Deputy Director China Yunnan Sunny Road & Bridge Co Ltd

 

UK ATTENDEES

Mei Sim Lai OBE DL, Chairman of The British Malaysian Society and Television for the Environment, Co Chairman Chinese Welfare Trust, His Majesty King Charles III Representative, Deputy Lieutenant London Borough of Brent

Dr Hiu Man Chan Founder & Director UK-China Film Collab, Lecturer in Creative & Cultural Industries De Montfort University

Mr David Stringer-Lamarre, Director The 48 Group Club Special Advisor, International Institute of Directors, Managing Director Fortis Consulting London Ltd

Mr Andrew Lambert Chairman, IoD London International Trade Special Interest Group, Founder & CEO Electronic Media Services Ltd

Mr John Crack, Director/Global, Portfolio leader for
Transport, Oriented Developments Mott MacDonald

Ms Sally Maier-Yip Managing Director & Founder 11K Consulting Ltd, Co-Founder Chinese Mums in business Club

Dr Ian Zhu Managing Director Tou Ying Ltd, Independent China Consultant Grant Thornton UK LLP

UK-CHINA BUSSINESE WOMEN’S CHAMBER

Connie Alexander Chairlady, UK- China Business Women’s Chamber

Catie Cao, Member UK- China Business Women’s Chamber

Sophie Huang, Member UK -China Business Women’s Chamber

Jessica Zen, Member UK-China Business Women’s Chamber

Jasmine Alexander, Event Host University of Oxford/Cambridge Graduate

Robin Alexander

Joseph Ma, Event Host The UK-Hainan Culture and Business Chambers

Where is Yunnan

Yunnan is a landlocked province in southwestern China. The province spans approximately 394,000 km2 (152,000 sq mi) and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan, autonomous regions of Guangxi, and Tibet as well as Southeast Asian countries: Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar.