BritChams UK Door-knock 2023 Day 1: BritCham Meets with Lord Johnson and HE Ambassador Zheng Zeguang

Against the backdrop of the Chamber's 5th Position Paper, the British Chamber of Commerce in China embarked on a week-long Doorknock trip in London this Monday, marking our second trip since 2019. The delegation consisted of 11 Chamber representatives from BritCham China, Southwest, and Guangdong, along with senior business leaders from the respective regions. Our vice Chairman Mark Clayton, and the Executive Manager Chris Chen joined the delegation on behalf of the members of BritCham GD.

随着中国英国商会《在华英国企业：建议书2023》的发布，本周中国英国商会开始了为期一周的伦敦之行，这是自2019年以来的第二次商会代表团之行。本次商会代表团由来自中国英国商会、西南办公室和广东办公室以及来自各地区的资深会员的11位代表组成。广东英国商会副主席Mark Clayton先生和执行总经理陈思敏女士代表广东英国商会的会员参加了此次伦敦之行。

As the voice of UK businesses operating in China, the British Chamber is excited to be meeting with the UK government and other stakeholders in the UK-China business space, to discuss challenges, opportunities, providing fact-based insights from on-the-ground perspective in the China market, particularly after three years of missed engagement. Our focus is on providing perspectives on the realities of doing business in China, the evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape, and how these factors impact businesses on the ground

 作为英国企业在华独立商业发声平台， 英国商会十分荣幸能够代表在华英国企业与英国政府和英中商业领域的其他相关机构会面，讨论中英贸易中的挑战和机遇，从中国市场的实际角度出发提供基于事实的见解，特别是在三年后的今天商业恢复活跃的情况下。本次伦敦之行旨在提供当下中国营商环境的现实情况、不断变化的宏观经济和国际关系，以及这些因素如何影响在华英国企业发展的观点。

During our first meeting of the trip, we had the opportunity to meet with Lord Dominic Johnson, Minister for Investment, who expressed appreciation for the Chamber's advocacy efforts and recognised the value of the 171 recommendations outlined in this year's Position Paper. We had constructive discussions on the significance of bilateral trade and investment between the UK and China, emphasising the need for engagement at both business and ministerial levels. Lord Johnson highlighted the importance of providing confidence and support to UK businesses in China, while also acknowledging the UK government's commitment to attracting continued investment from Chinese companies. Notably, China plays a crucial role in the UK's pursuit of achieving net-zero, and exploring opportunities for green growth, energy transition, and sustainability has become increasingly vital in UK-China relations.

本次行程的首场会议，英商会代表团拜访了英国商业及贸易部国务大臣多米尼克·约翰逊勋爵，他对商会的政府倡议工作表示赞赏，并认可今年《在华英国企业：建议书2023》中概述的171项建议的价值。我们就英国和中国之间双边贸易和投资的重要性进行了建设性讨论，强调了在商业和部长级进行接触的必要性。约翰逊勋爵强调了为英国在华企业提供信心和支持的重要性，同时也提及英国政府致力于吸引中国企业对英国的持续投资。值得注意的是，中国在英国实现零碳排放的过程中发挥着至关重要的作用，共同探索绿色增长、能源转型和可持续发展的机会在英中关系中变得越来越重要。

Following the meeting with Lord Johnson, we were honored to visit the Chinese Embassy in the UK, where we were warmly welcomed by His Excellency Ambassador Zheng Zeguang, where he acknowledged the British Chamber's role as a bridge and an independent voice representing UK businesses in China During the meeting, we discussed various challenges faced by businesses in China, such as Individual Income Tax, accessing finances particularly for SMEs, and the uncertain business environment that lacks clarity for businesses. We emphasised the need for increased government-to-government dialogue to restore confidence and called for consistency in policymaking and messaging to ensure China remains an attractive market for investment. We also discussed other important topics including addressing youth unemployment in China and supporting consumption-led and sustainable growth. Addressing global challenges such as slowdown in economic growth and climate change require close cooperation between China and the UK and we look forward to working closely with the Chinese government to continue support UK businesses flourish in the China market. 

在结束了与约翰逊勋爵会议后，我们很荣幸地参访了中国驻英国大使馆，在使馆商会代表团受到了中国驻英国大使郑泽光阁下的热烈欢迎。会议中，郑大使十分认可英国商会作为桥梁和在华英国企业独立商业发声平台的作用，同时也与英商会代表团讨论了在华英国企业面临的各种挑战，例如个人所得税、中小企业的融资渠道，营商环境欠缺稳定性和透明度。 我们强调需要加强政府间对话以恢复商业信心，并呼吁政策制定和信息传递保持一致，以确保中国仍然是一个有吸引力的投资市场。 会上还讨论了其他重要议题，其中包括解决中国青年失业问题以及支持消费主导型可持续增长。同时提及了应对经济增长放缓、气候变化等全球性挑战需要中英两国密切合作，我们期待与中国政府密切合作，持续致力于协助英国企业在中国市场的蓬勃发展。