British Consul-General in Shanghai Matt Burney (fifth from right), and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress Chen Jing (fifth from left) in Shanghai on June 20, 2024 Photo: Courtesy of the British Consulate-General in Shanghai

A reception was hosted on Thursday by the British Consulate-General in Shanghai to celebrate the official birthday of King Charles III, with more than 400 people participating in the event.

The evening's themes were nature and the environment, and diversity. "His majesty has spent much of his life alerting us to the existential threats we face through challenges such as global warming and biodiversity loss - which were major themes in his speech at the opening of COP28 in Dubai late last year," Matt Burney, British Consul-General in Shanghai, told the gathering.

Among the Chinese participants were Chen Jing, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, and Zhou Hanmin, Standing Committee member of the 14th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee and president of Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association.

Foreign diplomats in Shanghai and representatives from the British community in China also attended the event.

Burney expressed his thanks to the Shanghai Municipal Government and provincial governments as well as the participants at the event for their unwavering support in deepening the strong business-to-business and people-to-people links that exist between the UK and East China.

This region is extremely important to the UK, with more than two-thirds of UK companies in China headquartered there, Burney said, adding that there are also strong academic and cultural links.

The consul general said that the king's deep love of nature is also reflected in his gardens at Highgrove, his residence in the UK. In the king's words, "The garden at Highgrove represents one very small attempt to heal the appallingly short-sighted damage done to the soil, the landscape, and to our own souls."

In recognition of the king's commitment to sustainability, event attendees were encouraged to take home souvenirs of the event - from the photos at the exhibition, to the flowers and table decorations.

Another highlight was the event lucky draw ticket, which is made of lavender seed paper for guests to grow and create a small corner of Highgrove in their own home.

Global Times