'One Belt, One Road' initiative offers great opportunity for China-UK relations

Chinese silk, tea and porcelain were the very first goods that travelled thousands of miles along the ancient Silk Roads to Britain, marking the beginning of trade between China and what today is the United Kingdom.

Today, the "One Belt, One Road"initiative, with goals to strengthen connectivity between Asian, European and African countries, will open up even greater prospects for China-UK relations, said Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the United Kingdom.

"Britain excels in talent, technology, finance, designing and the legal profession. This means that there is an important role that Britain can play in building ‘One Belt, One Road,'" Liu said at the Young Icebreakers' 7th Anniversary Dinner in London on Thursday.

"One Belt, One Road", which was first put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping about 1 1/2 years ago, is a brand new 21st century initiative. It aims to revive the maritime and overland routes of the ancient Silk Roads and the ultimate goal is to encourage growth and cooperation along the routes.

Earlier this year, the UK government took the lead among major Western countries to join the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, a financing platform set up by China to support the "One Belt, One Road" initiative.

Liu said the move by the UK gives him great confidence that "One Belt, One Road" will bring new vim and vigor into China-UK relations.

"It (the initiative) will offer golden opportunities to the business community of both China and the UK," he said.