Envoy calls for deepening Sino-UK sci-tech exchanges

China and the United Kingdom should continue science and technology exchanges, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, without overstretching the concept of national security, China's Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang said at a forum in London on Wednesday.

Addressing the 2025 Sino-UK Entrepreneur Forum, which was themed "Smart Decisions for Smart Technologies", Zheng said China's AI development has been expanding in scale and flourishing in innovation, with ever-increasing real-life applications, and that China welcomes international collaboration on this emerging technology.

Noting that China sent a delegation to the UK's AI Safety Summit in 2023, and the UK participated in a meeting on international cooperation on AI capacity-building hosted by China early in May, Zheng said, "We would welcome the UK sending a senior delegation to the upcoming AI conference in Shanghai."

The World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting for Global AI Governance will be held in Shanghai in July. Its 2024 edition saw more than 1,300 influential figures from over 50 countries attend, including high-level officials, global scholars, experts and business executives.

The development and governance of AI requires international cooperation, the ambassador said, adding that for further exchanges and collaboration, it is important to correct "misconceptions about China and get rid of political interference".

"Some in the UK continue to view China through an outdated lens. They hold on to their ideological biases, overstretch the concept of national security, and try to disrupt China-UK sci-tech exchanges," he said.

"It must be pointed out that both countries have a solid sci-tech foundation and enjoy unique strengths. We can very well learn from each other," Zheng added.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center, China is home to more than 4,500 AI-related enterprises, with the core AI industry valued at nearly 600 billion yuan ($83.25 billion) in 2024.

Chinese entities accounted for more than 61 percent of global AI patent applications, the National Intellectual Property Administration said at a news conference in April.

The National Development and Reform Commission said in March that new industries, business formats and digital models contributed over 18 percent to China's GDP.

"As we speak, changes unseen in a century keep accelerating and the new round of sci-tech revolution is booming.… At the same time, unilateralism, trade bullying and tariff war run rampant. International sci-tech cooperation faces unprecedented disruptions," said Zheng.

"We must uphold true multilateralism and champion international sci-tech exchanges. We must firmly oppose decoupling, the severing of the global industrial and supply chains and 'small yard with high fence', and say no to any exclusive blocs or arrangements, bilateral or multilateral," he added.

Jointly hosted by China Daily Europe and the 48 Group, a London-based organization that promotes trade and business cooperation between the UK and China, the forum gathered nearly 200 participants from the British government, financial, trade, science and education sectors.

Participants at the forum responded positively, expressing strong interest in exploring joint projects in smart technologies, green development and digital transformation.

Jack Perry Jr, chairman of the 48 Group, said: "We already see what collaboration can look like. BYD is leading in electric mobility. Alibaba Cloud is building smart infrastructure. And Octopus Energy, represented here today by Greg Jackson, is using AI to transform clean energy systems."

Perry said he will lead a group of British companies to visit Beijing and the provinces of Shandong and Zhejiang later this month.

"Our focus is clear: to build real partnerships in AI, predictive logistics, smart agriculture and energy systems that will shape the next two decades," he said.

Sun Shangwu, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, said China Daily has closely tracked the development of global AI trends long before it became the current buzzword.

"Around the world, the AI landscape is blossoming with diversity. The flourishing of various models and applications proves that open collaboration is not just an ideal — they are the smart decision for the development of these smart technologies," said Sun.