Chris Peterson is managing editor for China Daily Europe. He is a veteran journalist who had served Reuters and Bloomberg News for the past four decades. He had extensive reporting experience in Vietnam, Singapore, Paris, London and Hong Kong.
To a Westerner the English name a Chinese person uses for himself or herself can often trigger a smile or a puzzled look.
I'm a little weary of writing about the ongoing saga of Brexit, the now resolved case of Hinkley Point, the protracted death throes of the opposition Labour Party, and the ghastly UKIP crew who have done so much to push Britain into an unnecessary crisis.
It's what we call an Indian summer here in southern Britain – don't ask me why – so Britons have stopped moaning about Brexit and the lacklustre English soccer team.
So finally it's happened. Newly installed UK Prime Minister Theresa May went to the G20 Leaders Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou and met with President Xi Jinping.
The next Olympics in four year’s time will be held in Japan, China’s arch regional rival. Given President Xi’s determination to make China a sporting power, be sure that whatever is needed to be done will be done.
Over the years, I've managed to survive crises, both professional and personal, by developing the ability to look on the bright side.
I have, I think, been hugely spoiled. Not so much in terms of material goods, but by having to avoid the deadly commute to the office for much of my working life.
When new British Prime Minister Theresa May's government surprised everyone by announcing it was reviewing Chinese-backed plans to build a French-designed nuclear power plant in western England.
When newly-installed UK Prime Minister Theresa May's government surprised everyone, not least China and France, by announcing it was reviewing Chinese-backed plans to build a French-designed nuclear power plant in western England, many assumed it was over fears of too much Chinese involvement in the sensitive area of nuclear energy.
I'm regarded by my friends and family as something of an optimist, sometimes wearyingly so.
Chinese government officials must be watching the train wreck that is currently British politics with a sense of disbelief - how can a thriving economy and a strong international player be reduced to a state of near impotence in two short weeks?
Sometimes the best relationships take years to evolve, and in the case of China and Britain, the origins stretch back to the late 18th century. It's been a bumpy ride, and there are things that both sides may regret.