The forum is hosted by the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK (CCCUK), specially supported by the Chinese Embassy in the UK and the Department for International Trade, and supported by the City of London, the China–Britain Business Council, the 48 Group Club, the Confederation of British Industries, the Great Britain-China Centre, the British Chamber of Commerce in China and the Institute of Directors. From 2018 to 2020, the CCCUK has successfully held three China-UK Economic and Trade Forums, receiving extensive attention from the society.

Themed at “Deepening China-UK Green Cooperation – New Normal, New Opportunities”, this year’s forum aims to bring together business leaders from China and the UK to explore new cooperation opportunities and discuss green and sustainable development paths, so as to promote green and low-carbon development in both countries and further deepen china-UK economic and trade exchanges and cooperation.

H.E. Zheng Zeguang, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, Lord Grimstone, Minister for Investment of DIT and BEIS, Ma Jun, Chairman of China Green Finance Committee and Director of the Beijing Institute of Finance and Sustainability, Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK and General Manager of Bank of China London Branch, and John Edwards, HM Trade Commissioner for China and John McLean OBE, Senior Adviser of the CCCUK and Chair of the Institute of Directors for The City of London will attend the forum and deliver keynote speeches.

Hundreds of political, business, academic representatives from China and the UK will participate in this event, a stronger lineup than the last year. The event will also be streamed live on Weibo, Facebook, Twitter and the official website of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, and is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Highlight Two: High-End Forum with Distinguished Guests to Talk About Green Development Path

Green development will become a new feature and key area of China-UK cooperation in the future. Under the common goal of large-scale emission reduction, the two countries have great potential for cooperation in the areas of green development, low-carbon economy, and jointly addressing the challenges of climate change

How to further deepen green cooperation between Chinese and British enterprises, promote sustainable development and reach greater consensus have become the focus of representatives.

The Panel One will discuss how can UK and China collaborate on climate change with new ideas on green and low-carbon investment, so as to explore new cooperation opportunities on green investment and high-quality development.

Mark Logan MP, Vice Chair of Media and the North of England, All Party Parliamentary China Group, Wang Wen, Executive Dean of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China, Sandy Begbie CBE, CEO of Scottish Financial Enterprise, Hong Zhang, Vice President for Strategy and MA of Shell China, and Rhys Whalley, Executive Director of Manchester China Forum will share their insights into new opportunities in sustainable investment areas, new trends in green cooperation between China and the UK under the carbon neutral goal as well as support for green and high-quality growth.

The Panel Two will focus on how can we shape energy transition strategies and harness support from the financial sector. With the completion of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK, countries need to implement climate change response plans, commitments and actions.

Finance plays a crucial role in promoting green transition and upgrading. How can banks be “carbon” pathfinders in the financial sector? What are the challenges of energy transition after the global pandemic? How to link “carbon trading markets” between the UK and China? How to set up effective incentive policies for changing industrial structures?

Dr Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI Climate Investment, Zhu Wenjin, Chief Executive Officer of Petroineos; Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Group Head of Public Affairs of HSBC Holdings plc and Chair of China-Britain Business Council, Yang Fan, Chief Policy Analyst of CITIC Securities, Dr Michal Meidan, Director of Gas Research Programme & Director of China Energy Programme of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies will attend the panel discussion.

Highlight Three: “Data + Report” on the Development of Chinese Enterprises in the UK

Over the past year, the challenges faced by Chinese companies in the UK have been exacerbated by the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and Brexit, as well as increased geopolitical risks around the world.

How did Chinese enterprises in the UK perform in 2021? What are the important signals behind the data? What are the highlights? What is the attitude of Chinese companies to the future development in the UK? What are their expectations for the business environment in the UK? How will Chinese companies balance ESG with business growth targets? … The answers will be found in the 2021 Report on The Development of Chinese Enterprises in the UK, which will be launched at the event.

The report, based on surveys and questionnaires of nearly 100 Chinese enterprises as well as dozens of sector roundtables and interviews, systematically summarizes and analyzes the development status and trend of Chinese enterprises in the UK. It includes five chapters, namely Landscape of Chinese Businesses in the UK, Views on the UK Investment Environment, Business Outlook and Growth Prospects, Industry Highlights and A Focus on ESG Matters.

As the second annual report, it will provide first-hand information for the British community to have a comprehensive understanding of Chinese enterprises in the UK.