On 25th November, the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK with the support of the Chinese Embassy in the UK and the UK Department of International Trade successfully held “The 3rd China-UK Economic and Trade Forum” and the launch ceremony of the ‘2020 Report on the Development of Chinese Enterprises in the UK”  online. 

The event was held in the form of an online conference, more than 500 Chinese and British business people registered for the event. The host broadcasted the event live on CCCUK’s event website, Weibo, Twitter and Facebook, attracting over 10,000  viewers from around the world. 

The 3rd China-Britain Business Forum

The forum explored in-depth discussions around the theme of “Partnership for Future Growth and Prosperity”, aiming to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between China and Britain, promote China-UK economic and trade relations, and achieve mutual benefit, win-win and common development. The event consisted of two panels: the first panel looked at “New UK-China Investment Opportunities and Emerging Trends in the Post-Covid-19 Era”, which aims to expand the areas of China-UK economic and trade cooperation under the current new situation, seize new opportunities for future investment development, further build consensus, and jointly promote China-UK cooperation; the second panel focused on “UK-China Joint Response to Climate Change, Developing New Models for Green Growth” which explored how the UK and China can work together to combat climate change, broaden the scope of green cooperation, and explore new models of ecological and environmental cooperation.  

In the “post-Brexit” and “post-Pandemic” era, how China and the UK should strengthen dialogue and cooperation in multiple fields, promote free trade, tackle climate change, and take the path to open innovation and green development have become important topics of discussion. In such a context, the “3rd China-UK Economic and Trade Forum” held by both the political and business community of the UK and China is of great significance. 

Over 20 leading figures in relevant fields to join keynote speech and discussions, including politicians, business leaders and academics to share their success stories in UK-China business cooperation, and the opportunities they hope to see in future development. Keynote speeches have been delivered by H.E. LIU Xiaoming, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the UK, Alderman William Russell, The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London, John Edwards, HM Trade Commissioner, Department for International Trade, BAO Ling, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, FANG Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK; General Manager of Bank of China London Branch, Stephen Perry, Chairman of The 48 Group Club, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chair of China-Britain Business Council; Group Head of Public Affairs, HSBC Holdings plc, Sir Vince Cable, Former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade.

Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK delivered a speech

Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, said…

Alderman William Russell, The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London delivered a speech

Alderman William Russell, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, said…

John Edwards, Trade Envoy of the UK Department of International Trade, delivered a speech

John Edwards, HM Trade Commissioner at the UK Department of International Trade, said….

Bao Ling, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK delivered a speech

Bao Ling, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said…

Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK and General Manager of Bank of China London Branch delivered a speech

Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK and General Manager of Bank of China London Branch, said…

Stephen Perry, Chairman of the 48 Group Club, delivered a speech

Stephen Perry, President of the 48 Group Club, said…

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles , Chairman of the UK-China Business Council and Global Head of Public Affairs at HSBC Group, delivered a speech

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chairman of the UK-China Business Council and Global Head of Public Affairs at HSBC Group, said…

On the forum, China Chamber of Commerce in the UK officially launched the “2020 Report on the Development of Chinese Enterprises in the UK“. On the event, Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK and General Manager of Bank of China London Branch introduced the significance of the forum. 

CCCUK worked with globally renewed consultancy firm, conducted a comprehensive survey of our member companies and compiled our first report on the development of the Chinese enterprises in the UK. Thanks to the strong support and active participation of our members.

The report reflects on the current UK landscape and investment environment, impact of COVID-19 and Brexit, and explores future development of UK-China dialogue. The report pointed out that the UK-China economic relationship remains strong, and Chinese companies in the UK are optimistic about the continued economic stability and expanded bilateral cooperation in the post-Pandemic and post-Brexit era. The release of the report will effectively promote the British society’s understanding of Chinese enterprises in the UK, and provide important reference for Chinese enterprises’ investment and development strategies and the formulation of relevant policies by Chinese and British governments.

Vince Cable, former Cabinet Secretary at the Department for Business and Innovation and Skills and Chairman of the Board of Trade, delivered a speech

Vince Cable, former Cabinet Secretary at the Department for Business and Innovation and Skills and Chairman of the Board of Trade, said…

Group photo of important witnesses at the press conference

Renowned business elites, experts and scholars from both the UK and China witnessed and applauded for the successful launch of 2020 Report on the Development of Chinese Enterprises in the UK. They included Alderman William Russell, The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of the City of London, John Edwards, HM Trade Commissioner, Department for International Trade, BAO Ling, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, FANG Wenjian, Chairman of the CCCUK; General Manager of Bank of China London Branch, Stephen Perry, Chairman of The 48 Group Club, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chair of China-Britain Business Council; Group Head of Public Affairs, HSBC Holdings plc, Sir Vince Cable, Former Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade.

The event was supported by the City of London, the China-Britain Business Council, The 48 Group Club, the British Chamber of Commerce in China, the China-Britain Association and the British Directors Association. Those who attended the forum said that despite unstable factors such as Brexit and Pandemic, the business communities of the UK and China share high enthusiasm to cooperate. They will use this forum as an opportunity to further new areas of expansion and cooperation, and write a new chapter for the economic and trade cooperation between the UK and China. 

Additional Information about

“2020 Report on the Development of Chinese Enterprises in the UK”

An 80-page report reflects the performance, contribution, future plans, concerns and hopes of the Chinese business community in the UK. It also offers a first-hand, unique and fascinating perspective on the views of Chinese executives across all sectors and regions. 

CCCUK members include many of the largest companies in China, but what you may not know is that 51 per cent of those surveyed reported annual revenues of below 5 million pounds – dynamic small and start-up private companies.

On the topic of Brexit, many companies generally view this as a source of great uncertainty. However, and importantly, nearly half of those Chinese businesses surveyed believe that even a No-Deal would not change their investment plans in Britain. Overall Chinese businesses are very confident about the resilience of the British economy.

CCCUK members hope to see a deal between Britain and the EU. Furthermore, we welcome the UK government’s vision of freeports and we stand ready to play our part as the UK seeks to “Build, Back, Better” over the coming years. 

Contrary to the belief that Chinese companies employ many Chinese expats, over half of those surveyed recruit more than 90 per cent of their workforce locally. 

Chinese companies call for more flexible visa polices, which will help them recruit top talent from around the world as their businesses grow.

Some 83 per cent of the companies surveyed report that growing their existing business is among their top priorities.

In all, 95 per cent view the UK as a crucial part of their global operations.

At 81 per cent of those surveyed, business decisions are made solely by the UK management teams.

The China Chamber of Commerce UK today (Weds) publishes an unprecedented survey of Chinese companies here in Britain and while 51 per cent plan to increase investment in the next two years, 55 per cent say the fallout from the worsening geopolitical climate is the biggest issue they face.

And it should matter to policymakers too as Chinese companies are ready to help the Prime Minister achieve his vision and “build, back, better” post-Brexit.

Nearly three quarters of the Chinese firms reinvest some or all of their UK profits back into the UK. And they are ready to invest in ‘Brexit Britain’. Chinese business would like to see a deal with the EU, and are worried about the arguments over ‘equivalence’ for financial services.

There are many positive stories around Chinese investment. Jingye’s purchase of British Steel saved 3,000 jobs. British exports to China hit a record of more than £30 billion last year.