In a shifting global economy, significant potential for economic and trade cooperation exists between China, the United Kingdom, and Europe, government and business leaders said at a forum on Tuesday.

The remarks were made at the fourth China-UK Investor Forum held in London, hosted by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, or OMFIF. The event brought together representatives from major UK financial institutions, government bodies, and academia.

China's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Zheng Zeguang, delivered a keynote speech at the forum.

He noted that, in the face of a complex and challenging international environment, the recently-concluded Two Sessions in China sent a clear signal to the world: China will remain committed to high-quality development, while continuing to promote high-standard opening-up and international cooperation.

"China will continue to be an engine of global economic growth and a major source of global peace and stability," he emphasized.

He added that China will further open up in multiple areas, including the services sector, which is "absolutely good news for countries like the UK, which is very strong in this field".

Referring to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China in January as having set a positive tone for bilateral cooperation, the ambassador said that "the rising turbulence in today's world makes it all the more important and necessary for China and the UK to strengthen cooperation. This is what truly meets the need of both sides in their development, and the shared aspiration of people from both countries."

David Marsh, chairman of OMFIF, said in his opening speech that Britain is in a good position to take a lead in promoting a new spirit of European Chinese partnership since UK has its own good reasons for pursuing a rapprochement with the European Union, which Britain left in 2020.

He also quoted Udaibir Das, vice-chair of OMFIF, who pointed out that China's upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) includes an unprecedented goal—one not seen in seven decades of national planning—to build a global financial powerhouse. "This is an area where Europe and China can come together in what I would call a primeval need to cooperate," Marsh said.

From a global perspective, Marsh added that deeper mutual understanding and stronger cooperation between China and Europe, including the UK, would help uphold multilateralism and global stability, while avoiding a lose-lose outcome in an increasingly uncertain international environment.

Ivan Rogers, formerly the UK's permanent representative to the EU, highly praised China's contribution to the global economy since joining the World Trade Organization.

He noted that as China's astonishing development progresses, the focus of its policies inevitably shifts, and from a UK point of view, it shifts more into a realm where the UK is a very substantial player.

"The UK remains the second-largest exporter of services in the world. London remains vastly the most important financial center in this time zone, and that hasn't changed (since leaving the EU) and isn't about to change," he said.

As China commits to high-quality development and high-level opening-up, its prosperity further increases the opportunities for UK and the UK's own comparative advantages.

"I think the UK has much to offer China. But also that China has a huge amount to offer the UK," he added.

Rogers also emphasized that both the EU and China, as committed multilateralists, support a rules-based international order—one in which countries can resolve differences peacefully and cooperate effectively on global challenges.

"These issues cannot be settled successfully if we revert simply essentially to 19th century power politics," he said. "I hope China and the EU can work seriously together; otherwise, we're going to see more fragmentation, more balkanization and more closeness and poorer consequences."

The forum also featured three panel discussions focusing on financial services, global digital payments, and foreign direct investment.