REMARKS BY H.E. LIU XIAOMING AT THE MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 100 GROUP.

BEIJING, China -- The following information was released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China:

(10 February 2011, Chinese Embassy)

Boys and Girls,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the Chinese Embassy. Today is the 8th day of the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit. This is a time for festivity and celebration. Let me first of all wish all of you a happy and prosperous year of the Rabbit. The Year of the Rabbit reminds me of an English idiom: "Hop over obstacles like a rabbit." That is my wish to you. I wish you, the students a lot of progress in your studies and teachers every success in your career.

The 100 Group is a distinguished group of schools in England. The annual conference is an important event for the group. I am glad that this year's conference focuses on international issues, and that you have included in the agenda a visit to the Chinese Embassy. I hope this visit will be both interesting and informative. It will help increase your knowledge of China and enrich your discussions at the conference.

Let me say a few words about the history of the Embassy and what we do here. This building you are now in has an architectural style that became popular in the 18th century. It is now a protected cultural site. It was designed by the renowned architect Robert Adam and his brother James Adam. In 1877, it became the office building for the first ever Chinese diplomatic mission overseas, and has served as our embassy building ever since. For the past 130 years, it witnessed great changes in China's diplomacy and its relations with Britain. I am proud to be the 11th Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the UK following the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1972. The main mission of the Embassy is to promote China's exchanges and cooperation with Britain in political affairs, commerce, education, culture, science, technology and military fields.

Both China and Britain are great nations and major players on the world stage. We are both committed to our comprehensive strategic partnership. We have strong political ties. Prime Minister Cameron visited China last November and Vice Premier Li Keqiang visited the UK early this year. We have vibrant trade ties. Our trade last year hit a record 50 billion US dollars. We will aim to double it in the next 5 years. We have growing people-to-people links. Every year 1 million visits are made between our two countries. Tourists from the Chinese Mainland alone reached 200 thousand last year. Close to 120 thousand Chinese students are studying in the UK. Some of them may even be your classmates. The UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo last year was a great success. We are confident that London as the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games will stage an equally spectacular games as Beijing. I also want to tell you that two giant pandas will be coming from China to settle in their new home in the Edinburgh Zoo. They will be living symbols of China-UK friendship. I do hope you will have an opportunity to see them and you will like them.

Young people are the future of their nations. You also represent the future of China-UK relations. China-UK partnership needs to be nurtured from generation to generation. We count on you to take our friendship and cooperation forward. To fulfill this mission, it is very important to better understand each other's country.

Let me share with you a few facts about China. China is a vast country, covering an area of 9.6 million square kilometers, 40 times the size of Britain. It has a population of over 1.3 billion, more than 20 times that of Britain.

China has a history of 5 thousand years. It contributed enormously to human progress. Some of you may know the four great inventions of ancient China - the compass, papermaking, movable type printing press and gunpowder. Without them, we may still live in the medieval age.

Today's China is making rapid progress on all fronts. Its economy has been growing at double-digit rates for the past 32 years. Its GDP now ranks the second in the world. The Chinese people enjoy a much better life today than ever before. 250 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the past 3 decades. The Chinese society is increasingly open and diverse. Both the Beijing Olympic Games and the Shanghai World Expo have been immensely successful. They showed the world a new China. There has been an explosive growth of internet in China, with 450 million internet users and over 200 million bloggers. Micro-blogging, which is similar to tweeter, is attracting ever more users. Having said all that, it is important to understand that China is still a developing country. Its per capita GDP is only one tenth that of the UK, and ranks behind 100 countries. 150 million people in China still live under the UN poverty line of one dollar a day. For China, development remains an arduous task and the road is long.

A good way to understand China is to learn its language. Mandarin is spoken by the largest number of people in the world. It is also the fastest growing language. More than 40 million people around the world are learning mandarin. The number of learners in Europe and North America is growing by 40% annually. Mandarin fever has also hit the UK. I am pleased to learn that mandarin has been put on the curriculum of over 500 primary and secondary schools, in some cases as a compulsory course. Last September, the British government made mandarin another GCSE subject. There are now 13 Confucius Institutes and 54 Confucius Classrooms in the UK. Some schools of the 100 Group, such as Brighton College and Kingsford Community School, have Confucius Classrooms. Some of the students there have done very well in mandarin proficiency competitions in recent years.

An even better way to know China is to study in China. China is now becoming a popular destination for overseas students to experience its ancient culture and modern vitality. In 2009, over 230 thousand students from more than 190 countries and regions studied in China. China is offering more scholarships and better services for these students. The Education Section of our embassy will host a "Study in China" exhibition this autumn. You are all welcome to this event. It will be a good opportunity to get to know Chinese universities and make them a part of your student life.

I hope today's visit will foster your interest in China, and help you understand and like China. I also hope young people of our two countries will become friends and join hands in building a bond of friendship between our two countries.

Once again a warm welcome to the Chinese Embassy. I will be happy to take your questions.