BritCham's Position Paper
Led by its Chairman, Nicholas Holt, the British Chamber of Commerce in China have kickstarted its first ever ‘door-knock’ outreach to London by promoting the historical Position Paper. The main principle of the British chambers’ ‘door-knock’ programme is to meet with British politicians, officials and organisations to inform them on the issues impacting day-to-day operations between UK and Chinese companies, as well as the vast opportunities for the UK post-Brexit.
British Chambers of Commerce (BCC)
The door knock began with a launch event hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) based in London. Director General of BCC, Adam Marshall announced that the China chambers are now “official international affiliates linking into the UK national network as well as the global BCC network”. This is an exciting milestone for UK-China member interconnectivity.
All Party Parliamentary China Group
BritCham in China, presenting the Position Paper along with several of our delegation members to Richard Graham MP
The delegation then moved to the Houses of Parliament, where we met with officials from the All Party Parliamentary China Group. Nicholas Holt, Chairman of BritCham China, presented the Position Paper along with several of our delegation members, which was met with a warm reception from Richard Graham MP. He welcomed future discourse and looked forward to the Paper feeding into the upcoming Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) taking place in June.
Foreign Affairs Committee
On day two of our London outreach we presented to various UK business organisations, and Tom Tugenhat MP, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. We discussed UK-China relations past, present and future, as well as the perspective of UK businesses doing business in China. The delegation presented the challenges British businesses face in China, and called for greater engagement, understanding and collaboration between the UK and China governments.
Confederation of British Industry (CBI)
Nicholas Holt and the BritCham delegation presenting the Position Paper to CBI
Department for International Trade (DIT) and HM Treasury
BritCham meeting with DIT and HM Treasury
Our door knock outreach continued on Wednesday as the business delegation held meetings with the International Trade Committee, HM Treasury and the Department for International Trade (DIT).
International Trade Committee
In speaking with Members of Parliament and senior government officials, the delegation presented the key recommendations from the Position Paper 2019 to improve the business environment for British firms in China, while also highlighting the ways in which UK businesses are well-placed to compliment China’s economic development.
The Chinese Embassy in the UK
Day 4 of BritCham’s outreach began with a meeting at the Chinese Embassy in the UK where the delegation presented the Position Paper’s key findings to Minister Counsellor Madam Bao. The discussion focused on the business environment both for UK firms operating in China, and Chinese ones operating in the UK. Madam Bao expressed her support for further collaboration and strengthening of the relationship between the British chambers in China and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce based in London.
The BritCham after meeting with the Chinese Embassy in the UK, then met with the Institute of Directors, who found the Position Paper 2019 particularly relevant for their members as they increasingly look to export goods and services to China.
Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Bank of China
The final stop of the 'door knock' journey was a visit to the Bank of China in London, where the delegation met with Mr. Fang, who is Chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the UK as well as President of the Bank of China in the UK.
If you haven't read the position paper yet please click here to download it.
