CHENGDU, Jan. 24 (NBD) -- Cecille El Beleidi, British Consul-General in Chongqing, said on Monday that Brexit is actually an opportunity for the UK not only to cooperate with old friends, but also to form new unions.

Speaking at the Brexit and the Future of UK-China Trade and Investment Workshop jointly held by China-Britain Business Council, British Chamber of Commerce in China, British Consulate General in Chongqing, and Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce in Chengdu, Sichuan province, the Consul-General stressed that "we are leaving European Union, but we are not leaving Europe."

She added as the prime minister pointed out in her speech in Dovas, the great prize for UK is to use this moment to build a truly Global Britain.

Stephen Phillips, Chief Executive of China-Britain Business Council, noted that Brexit will not affect Britain too much, but companies will be hungry for more international business opportunities. They will partner with China through the "One Belt One Road Initiative" and "Made in China 2025 Plan". Britain is strong in advanced manufacturing and education, especially their universities and research institutions. That's where China can learn from.

NBD also learned that as of the end of 2016, 142 Britain companies have established presence in Sichuan with actual usage of foreign investments amounted to 279 million US dollars.

Lu Ping, director of Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce, told NBD that China and Britain are complementary in trade and commerce. As China plans to bolster its real economy and advanced manufacturing industry, there is a lot room for cooperation. As a large supplier of Graphene material, Sichuan can also partner with Britain in this field. In addition, more preferential policies are introduced such as subsidies and insurances to encourage enterprises in Sichuan to go global.

In the end, he also mentioned to set up a Sichuan Chamber of Commerce in Britain in the future.

Email: tanyuhan@nbd.com.cn