LONDON, April 3 (China Daily) -- On April 2, Shandong Province Joint Working Group to the United Kingdom accompolished its mission and departed for home, and Ambassador Liu Xiaoming went to the airport to see off the group. The 15-member working group is composed of Shandong government officials and medical and mental health experts, with Wang Hua, deputy director of the Standing Committee of Shandong Provincial People's Congress, as the team leader.

The working group arrived in the UK on March 28, and conducted 9 online communication activities in 5 days, with about 3,000 online counseling sessions and tens of thousands of people watching online, which had a wide positive influence. Among them, the working group held 5 sessions of "Join hands to win against the epidemic, and the motherland is always with you" for Chinese students, overseas Chinese and Chinese organizations in the UK, popularizing knowledge on medical protection and mental health of the Covid-19, answering questions of concern, giving "health kits" to students and other Chinese in the UK. The working group also held online communication with Lord Bethell, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, England, Thomas Waite, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of England, Scott Wightman, Director of External Affairs of Scottish Government and relevant medical experts respectively to share Chinese experience in epidemic prevention and control and treatment.

Ambassador Liu said at the meeting that the Party and the government attach great importance to the health and life safety of Chinese citizens abroad, especially international students. Last week, President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau and stressed again the need to provide the care and concern for our citizens abroad. The working group brought the tender care and greetings from the Party and the government to Chinese citizens in the UK, brought much-needed epidemic prevention supplies and epidemic prevention knowledge, and demonstrated high dedication, high professionalism and excellent working style, and successfully completed the task. The Embassy and Consulates General in the UK will continue to firmly implement the important instructions of President Xi Jinping and do their best to provide comprehensive support, assistance and services to Chinese citizens in the UK.

Deputy Director Wang said that scheduled and arranged by the Embassy and Consulates General in the UK, the working group held scientific lectures on epidemic prevention for Chinese citizens in the UK, answered a large number of specific questions, gave professional guidance, and communicated with British officials and medical experts to share China's experience in fighting the epidemic, and urged the British side to take practical and effective measures to safeguard the health, safety and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens in the UK, especially international students, which can be described as "bearing upon the task.".

Chinese students, overseas Chinese and Chinese institutions in Britain expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Party and the government for their care and love, and the arrival of the working group made them fully feel that "the motherland is always with us", and they will take a scientific view of the epidemic in Britain and make efforts to protect themselves, so as to make the motherland at ease and their family at home relieved.

The British side said that the British government will actively implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Johnson and make every effort to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in the UK, including international students. The British side sincerely appreciated the goodwill shown by China at the critical moment, thanked China for the donation of epidemic prevention materials to the British side, and was willing to learn from China's experience in epidemic prevention, control and treatment to continuously strengthen Sino-British cooperation in fighting the epidemic.