Ambassador Liu Xiaoming gets his honorary degree from David Greenaway, vice-chancellor of Nottingham University. [Photo by Kevin Wang / China Daily]

The University of Nottingham marked its strong links with China by conferring an honorary doctorate degree on the country's ambassador to the UK.

Liu Xiaoming, who has been China's senior diplomat in Britain since 2009, received a Doctor of Laws on Wednesday in recognition of his contribution to Sino-UK relations and his support for the university's endeavors to contribute to education in China.

"We wanted to recognize Ambassador Liu's achievements in promoting education cooperation between our two countries, but also helping us to build links in China," said David Greenaway, vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham.

A plaque was also unveiled marking the Nottingham Confucius Institute as a model Confucius Institute.

Liu has made tremendous contributions to bilateral political, economic and social exchanges during his time in the UK, which reached a milestone in 2015 with President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain.

Liu said that he was pleased to receive the honorary degree, although he stressed that as a diplomat, his personal achievements would have little significance without the great prosperity of his country.

He said the creation of a sound UK-China relationship was not easy as China and Britain have different heritage and social systems, but the two countries have worked hard to build harmony.

Cultural exchanges and visits between China and Britain benefit both nations, he added.

Liu first visited the University of Nottingham in 2010 to meet the Nottingham Confucius Institute's staff.

He returned in 2012 to open the university's Si Yuan Centre, which houses the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, China Policy Institute and Nottingham Confucius Institute.

The Nottingham Confucius Institute, established jointly by the University of Nottingham and Fudan University in 2007, has taught Mandarin to more than 7,000 university students.

The University of Nottingham opened its Ningbo campus in China's Zhejiang province in 2004.

Also on Wednesday, a group of around 100 scholars gathered at the university for an economic forum themed at China's economic development and collaboration with the UK.

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