To help the chamber members carry out forward-looking planning and formulate effective strategies at the final critical stage of the Brexit negotiation, the CCCUK and Bank of China London Branch co-sponsored and organised an in-depth lecture on Brexit on 19 February 2019. Sir Ivan Rogers, Senior Consultant for the Brexit and Former British Ambassador to the European Union was invited to analyse the coping strategies based on characteristics of Chinese enterprises in the UK, so as to help them turn challenges into opportunities and better protect the rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. More than 30 participants including CCCUK Vice Chairman LEI Jiazhao, the CCCUK member representatives, and the representatives from Bank of China London Branch were present at the event.

Picture 1: LEI Jiazhao, Vice Chairman of the CCCUK delivering a welcome speech

LEI Jiazhao, Vice Chairman of CCCUK  and Deputy Managing Director of Sinochem Europe Group said in his welcome speech that the unclear situation of Brexit has brought about severe challenges to enterprises. Faced with various uncertainties, the enterprises need to develop contingency plans accordingly, which may result in increased operating costs. He looked forward to hearing the insights of Sir Ivan Rogers, hoping that the seminar would answer participants’ questions and bring new enlightenments.

Picture 2: Sir Ivan Rogers, Former British Ambassador to the European Union explaining the issues regarding Brexit

First of all, Sir Ivan Rogers, Former British Ambassador to the European Union gave a special lecture that offered insights into the key points of Brexit. The lecture probed into the key demands of the UK and the EU, the “backup schedule” of the Irish border, the future trend of Brexit negotiation, the countermeasures against “no-deal Brexit”, and other issues. Then, Sir Ivan answered audience’s questions on delayed Brexit, the future business development in the UK, the timetables for foreign investment, the outlook on BOE interest rate, the binding forces of the EU regulations, etc.

Picture 3: The Lecture

At the lecture, the participants and the senior consultant had in-depth exchanges on related concerns of various enterprises. The meeting provided active help and strong support for member enterprises to better respond to the challenge of the Brexit.