Ambassador: Ties going strong at 40

Editor's note: The year 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the United Kingdom and China. UK Ambassador James Sebastian Wood shared his opinions on bilateral exchanges with Zhang Zhao in Beijing.

Please give us a brief introduction to the major achievements in bilateral cooperation.

2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment in 1972 of full ambassadorial relations between our two countries. Previously, on Jan 6 1950, the UK had been the first major Western country to recognize the People's Republic of China. Since that time, we have made excellent progress in the relationship, but I believe that the best is yet to come. The relationship between our countries is getting stronger, and 2012 is a particularly special year.