On 15th December 2017, the press conference on the publication of The Blue Book of the United Kingdom – Annual Report on Development of the United Kingdom (2016-2017), alongside a symposium on Brexit and Its Multiple Influence, was held in Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). The event was co-sponsored by BFSU British Studies Center of the School of English and International Studies (SEIS), Institute of European Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Social Sciences Academic Press, British Studies Sub-Association of Chinese Association for European Studies, European Law Research Association, and BFSU Higher Research Institute of Regional and Global Governance. Sun Youzhong, Vice President of BFSU, Yang Qun, Chief Editor of Social Sciences Academic Press, and Li Jingkun, Deputy Director of British Studies Sub-Association made remarks at the conference. More than 70 experts and scholars from over 20 universities and research institutions took part.
Professor Wang Zhanpeng, Vice Dean of SEIS and Director of BFSU British Studies Center, presided over the meeting and outlined the Annual Report. Vice President Sun Youzhong emphasized the importance for BFSU to conduct academic researches on the influential global power, the United Kingdom. Chief Editor Yang Qun affirmed the quality of this edition of the Annual Report, expecting further collaboration with BFSU in academic publishing. Distinguished experts, such as Du Qiwen, member of Foreign Policy Advisory Committee of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chen Xiaolu, Professor from Research Center of Britain and Commonwealth at Nanjing University, and Feng Zhongping, Vice Director of China Institute of Contemporary International Relations also delivered speeches.
During the Symposium on Brexit. Huang Ping, Director of Institute of European Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Ding Yifan, Europe expert at the Development Research Center of the State Council, Cui Hongjian, Director of Institute of European Studies of China Institute of International Studies, and Professor Jerusha McCormack from University College Dublin (UCD) made presentations. They focused on UK’s politics, economy, society, cultural development and foreign relations after the Brexit Referendum. Professor Li Yonghui, Dean of the School of International Relations at BFSU addressed on the closing ceremony.
Annual Report on Development of the United Kingdom (2016-2017) is co-edited by the British Studies Center of BFSU and British Studies Sub-Association of Chinese Association for European Studies. It traces major events in the UK since the Brexit Referendum in June 2016 and offers comprehensive and multi-perspective interpretations on the challenges and uncertainties Britain has been facing since.
The event is widely reported by news media in China, such as China News Service, People’s Daily, China Net, China Daily Net and China Economic Net.
