On March 4, Consul General Tang Rui met with Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, in Leeds. The two sides exchanged views on deepening practical cooperation in various fields between China and West Yorkshire, including Leeds. Also attending the meeting were Councillor Dan Cohen, Lord Mayor of Leeds, and Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council.

Consul General Tang stated that under the leadership of Mayor Brabin, West Yorkshire has achieved positive results in economic and social development in recent years. Noting Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s successful visit to China not long ago, where both sides agreed to develop a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership, Tang emphasized that this brings new opportunities for the development of China-UK relations. He expressed the Consulate General's readiness to work closely with the Combined Authority, leveraging the sister-city relationship between Hangzhou and Leeds as a bond to propel cooperation in all sectors to a new level.

Mayor Brabin expressed that the latest developments in UK-China relations are encouraging. She noted that West Yorkshire is willing to deepen cooperation with China in fields such as trade and investment, green development, and people-to-people exchanges and education, consistently bringing benefits to the people of both sides.