Supporting Next-Generation Hopes and Expectations for China-West Connectedness
As an ageing citizen who has lived in Cambridge for over fifty years, I have been visiting China for thirty of those years. I cherish the relationships, success, and fulfilment that my Chinese connections have brought to my life, both in China and at home. I have been fortunate to have worked and lived in China for several years, started a company there, and facilitated the exchange of knowledge and technology between China and the UK. I have learned immensely from wise academics, smart Chinese businesspeople, and many wonderful Chinese students.
I have witnessed China’s remarkable economic and social evolution over the decades. While working closely with China and its people, I have learned to accept, understand, and accommodate cultural differences and differences in political structures and governance. I have been constantly impressed by the spirit of hope and expectation communicated to me by successive generations of young Chinese people. Cross-cultural collaboration has played a pivotal role in fostering mutual understanding and driving shared success.
Building bridges between China and the West has contributed significantly to global advancement.
I acknowledge the current poor state of geopolitics and the adversarial situation between the USA and China. China’s progress in key sectors influences the US stance, and Western approaches often hinder global progress. Suspicion has eroded trust, and while there are legitimate concerns, my personal experiences over the past thirty years give me confidence that people can still work together across borders and cultures, despite political challenges and misinformation.
The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily halted the active Europe-China exchanges and collaborations that many of us had nurtured over decades. Recovery was slow, but I have been excited and delighted by the increasing flow of students and executives from China to the UK.
This year in Cambridge, I have spent the summer fully engaged with high school students, undergraduates, and postgraduates visiting for short extra-curricular educational programs. Working with school groups aged nine to thirteen and many sixteen-year-olds has been wonderful. The institutions sending them have encouraged innovative, creative, and critical thinking. The mindset and attitudes of these young people have been open, hopeful, and forward-looking.
My interactions with many eager young Chinese visitors this summer have renewed my belief in and enthusiasm for cross-continental contacts and collaborations. The experience has also been a great motivator for those of us who believe in the vision of “A world without borders.” We see that the next generations can contribute to human progress and transcend the political and administrative restraints that currently exist.
I appreciate that China is extending its influence worldwide and investing in regions long ignored by the West, and its dedication to investment and action towards achieving net zero carbon emission is all very clear when I studied their programmes and policies. A great and increasingly developed nation with a large population, China must be acknowledged as a key participant in future global progress. The West would be wise to adopt a constructive position, enabling those of us willing and able to work with China to help make the world a better place for all.
Beyond politics and suspicions, and despite differences in policies, governance, national identities, and cultures, I see more reason than ever for open-minded people in the West to continue the well-established work in education and business. These efforts support the concept of “better together” and aim to build mutual trust and confidence.
Just a few years ago, I was enthusiastic in support of the establishment of the “China Insight Foundation (CIF)” – a think tank that provides a trustable repository of valid information about China and an advice centre for those interested in honest evaluation and consultation. CIF has not developed yet as planned, but the purpose and the inspiration are still in place, and I remain hopeful for the future.
On a more personal note, I must pay tribute to Crayfish.io and its Founder & CEO, Ting Zhang, for being part of the Cambridge-based community engaging in China-related business that has been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement to me on the UK-China exchange programmes I’ve been working on over the decades. I have known Ting since 1997 when she started her MBA at Judge Business School, Cambridge University. That was three years before she set up her cross-border consultancy business.
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Professor Alan Barrell has been based in Cambridge since 1966, travelled and worked around the world with significant time spent in China, the Americas, Europe, and the Baltic States. His work has been with global corporations and early-stage companies as well as in investment and education. A graduate life scientist, Alan’s major focus has been on innovation in technology and healthcare. His honorary doctoral degrees at ARU and other universities have recognised business successes, and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion cited “the encouragement of Enterprise in others”. Alan was honoured in Finland with the Knight First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland for education services. Focus on China and China-West relationships, education and business spans more than thirty years with Visiting Professorships in several Chinese Universities including Xiamen and Liaoning. Present Anglo-China activities continue through the directorship of CFCC (China Future Creative Class) Cambridge Academy.
This video series offers a recollection of his professional journey over the past half century.