The Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, has met the Chinese Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Liu Xiaoming, to discuss opportunities for further cooperation between Jersey and China.
The discussion focused on people-to-people links between the two jurisdictions in education, trade and the Chinese diaspora community living in Jersey. The Ambassador remarked positively about the education webinar that was convened last week between the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) and Jersey’s Department for Children, Young People, Education and Skills (CYPES) as an example of how to collaborate virtually.
Senator Le Fondré said: “Engagement with China facilitates opportunities for local businesses with the world’s second largest economy. Improving Jersey’s links with international partners has been developed by the External Relations department and this work is particularly important following the UK’s departure from the European Union as we seek to find new markets for Jersey’s services and products. The Ambassador and I also discussed the strong educational links between Jersey and China in the form of collaboration between local schools and their Chinese counterparts.”
Future trade was discussed in the context of post-Brexit opportunities for businesses in Jersey looking to export. China is the world’s second largest importer of goods, and local businesses such as Jersey Dairy already ship products to the country.
The Chief Minister visited China in November in both 2018 and 2019 but plans to return this year were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the current difficulties of international travel. The recent educational webinar came as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding that was signed with the CEAIE to formalise cooperation during last year’s visit.