On 13th September, the 8th edition of the UK-China Young Leaders Roundtable was held in London.
The roundtable, hosted by our Chairman Sir Martin Davidson, was co-chaired by the UK’s shadow Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Andrew Gwynne MP and the Deputy Secretary-General of the All China Youth Federation, Mr Ciwangpingcuo.
The theme for this year was The Digital Age: How will new technologies transform our societies?
Given the rapid pace in development of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things, there was considerable interest from all participants to explore shared opportunities and challenges that technologies will bring for the coming decade.
Andrew Gwynne MP led a cross party delegation of twelve young politicians and policy makers, including a number of new MPs from the 2017 intake: Bim Afolami MP, Darren Jones MP and shadow ministers Dan Carden MP and Paul Sweeney MP.
The UK side were joined by a delegation of 15 rising stars from the All China Youth Federation from a diverse range of China’s regions, ministries and businesses. They were led by the Deputy Secretary-General of the ACYF, Mr Ciwangpingcuo.
Sir Martin Davidson, in his welcome speech, reflected on the development of the Young Leaders Roundtable since its establishment in 2011 in promoting cooperation and exchanges in the area of technology and innovation between the next generation of politicians and policy makers from the UK and China.
Keynote speakers included the Former Chief Secretary to the Treasure and co-founder of the YLRT, the Rt. Hon Liam Byrne MP and the Division Chief of the National Development and Reform Commission, Dr Shi Xijie.
In breakout sessions, participants discussed disruptive technologies and its impact of the future of our labour markets and explored how the role of the state to ensure that all segments of society are given the opportunity to learn the skills to navigate new technologies. These discussions gave the participants the opportunity to gain a better understanding of one another and to further develop networks of friendship between Young Leaders of both countries.
We are grateful to Prudential plc for their continued support, both their generous sponsorship and their active participation throughout the day, without which the annual political dialogues could not take place.
2018 GBCC-ACYF China Innovation and Leadership Exchange Programme
During the two weeks from 9 to 21 September, 15 of China’s next generation of government and business leaders from the All China Youth Federation (ACYF) attended an exchange programme designed and facilitated by GBCC. The ACYF is an adjunct to the Communist (Party) Youth League, which has 110 million members and is a key training ground for China’s future political leaders.
GBCC and ACYF have worked together for several years on leadership activities https://www.gbcc.org.uk/dialogues/political-economic-dialogues/uk-china-young-leaders-roundtable#entry:892:url to build understanding between young British and Chinese leaders. Plans to extend our cooperation to an education and exchange programme were initiated at the 2017 UK-China High Level People-to-People Dialogue https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-china-ties-flourish-at-2016-high-level-people-to-people-dialogue. The programme provided an opportunity to familiarise participants with the UK’s key principles and outlook, as well as its governmental, business, civil society and educational institutions.
The delegation comprised of the ACYF’s central and provincial leaders, rising civil servants, and business executives from private sector and state-owned companies, including the technology giant Tencent, and engineering consultancy and investment firms. It was led by Ciwang Pingcuo (pictured), the ACYF’s deputy secretary-general and director of the Youth League’s central general office.
During their first week in London, the delegation met with UK politicians, policy-makers, and business and community leaders, and participated in the eighth UK-China Young Leaders Roundtable, in which UK participants were led by Andrew Gwynne MP, shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
The delegation’s London engagements included briefings from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on UK-China relations (pictured); a roundtable on UK-China trade opportunities at the China Britain Business Council; discussions on youth policy and engagement from the UK government’s Office for Civil Society and leading young people’s organisation UK Youth; and a presentation from the Institute for Government on the UK’s political and institutional landscape.
In their second week, the delegation stayed at the University of Oxford’s St John’s College. The programme included intensive sessions with some of the UK’s foremost academics and creative thinkers, as well as engagement with young UK politicians at the local grassroots level.
A roundtable at the Oxford China Centre with Professor Rana Mitter and his colleagues discussed contemporary China, and presentations from Professor Ian Goldin (pictured) and Dr Carl Frey of the University’s Martin School addressed the impact of emerging technologies on societies and economies. Ewan Smith from the Oxford Faculty of Law and the Blavatnik School of Government’s Associate Professor Emily Jones delivered lectures on the UK’s constitutional landscape and Brexit process; the Faculty of Law’s Dr Mimi Zou presented on differing regulatory regimes between the UK and China in newly emerging areas of law; and Oxford Vice-Chancellor Professor Chas Bountra and Oxford University Innovation CEO Matt Perkins surveyed the role of higher-education in developing new technologies and nurturing entrepreneurial talent.
GBCC and the ACYF look forward to continuing our cooperation to increase understanding, develop dialogue and foster professional relationships between emerging leaders of both countries.
