BritCham Position Paper

British Chamber of Commerce British Business in China: Position Paper 2019

23 Aug 2019

This inaugural Position Paper presents a strong, united voice on behalf of British businesses operating across mainland China, and represents the first time that British business in China has taken a united stance on the business environment in China.

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Key takeaways

The Position Paper presented six key recommendations including:

Foreign Investment Law,
Negative List,
Cybersecurity,
Intellectual Protection Rights,
Licensing and Certification,
Transparency and Consistency.

China is currently the UK’s fifth largest trading partner, and the second largest non-EU partner after the US. Despite the present slowdown of the Chinese economy, British exports remain robust. UK goods are in high demand among China’s aspirational middle class, and 57% of Chinese consumers are willing to pay more for UK-made goods owing to a perception that they are of a higher quality.

The Position Paper ‘door knock’ outreach was presented to a number of key governmental officials in both China and the UK, including:

Yu Yuantang, Deputy Director General, Department European Affairs, Ministry of Commerce of China
Madam Bao Ling, Minister Counselor, Chinese Embassy to the UK
Fang, Chairman, Chinese Chamber in the UK
Richard Graham MP, Chair of All Party Parliamentary China Group
Mark Sedwill, Permanent Secretary
Baroness Fairhead CBE, Minister for Trade and Export Promotion, Department for International Trade
Richard Burn, HM Trade Commissioner to China
Sir Tom Scholar, Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury
Barbara Woodward, HM Ambassador to China
Adam Marshall, Director General, British Chambers of Commerce in the UK