This event has been postponed. A new date will be announced here shortly.
£15.00 (non-members)
Overview
How does contemporary China perceive the United Kingdom? What is the nature of the special relationship between these two historic ex-imperial powers of East and West? How has Britain’s recent departure from the EU affected this relationship?
More generally, we may ask what are China’s perceptions and common misperceptions of the UK affecting trade and diplomacy? And what is the legacy from Britain’s 19th and 20th century engagements with China and Hong Kong?
Who better to address such questions than the two special guests at this ‘in conversation’ event: Cindy Yu and Mark Logan MP. Both Cindy and Mark are Masters graduates in contemporary Chinese studies from Oxford University and fluent mandarin speakers. Cindy Yu is Assistant Editor at The Spectator and presenter of the Chinese Whispers podcast. Mark Logan is currently the Conservative MP for Bolton North East and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on China. They can be said to ‘bridge the culture divide’ between China and the UK.
Manchester’s connections with China are of course not only historic, but extend to recent twinnings, notably between the cities of Manchester and Wuhan. There are strong ties between Manchester’s universities and research centres throughout China. And Manchester’s high schools and several Confucius Institutes in the NW region play an important part in promoting mandarin and Chinese language studies, in part acknowledging the growing Chinese diaspora in the NW region.
Join us for what promises to be an enlightening discussion on the nature of our relationship with China today.
Cindy Yu
Cindy Yu is Assistant Editor at The Spectator where she also hosts the magazine’s Chinese Whispers podcast and writes on Chinese politics and society. A fluent English and Mandarin speaker, she was born and raised in Nanjing, China, until the age of 10.
Cindy read Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the University of Oxford, where she also read for a Master of Science in contemporary Chinese studies. Her research focused on Chinese political propaganda and modern youth opinion. She is a frequent radio and TV commentator on China issues.
Mark Logan MP
Fluent mandarin speaker, Mark Logan, was elected Conservative Party MP for Bolton North East in December 2019 and is now vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on China.
Before becoming an MP, Mark worked for the UK Foreign Office, through which he was head of Communications at the British Consulate-General Shanghai. He then worked in the private sector for Chinese conglomerate Sanpower and also for a leading US management consultancy.
