In her opening remarks, Dame Caroline spoke about how discussions about, and perceptions of, China in the UK have changed and Her Majesty’s Government’s priorities for China with a particular focus on trade and investment between the UK and China, while also providing her insights on China’s recovery from the recent Shanghai lockdown, geopolitical tensions and bilateral exchanges.

Following Dame Caroline’s update, CBBC’s Chief Executive, Andrew Seaton, chaired the Q&A session. Senior leaders from CBBC Members and the British business community across different sectors attended the meeting.

Topics discussed included: plans for future dialogues and opportunities for UK-China cooperation and investment; work towards the removal of trade barriers to the China market; challenges faced when exporting products to China; the impact of current geopolitics on UK-China relations; the resumption of travel and flights to China; the role that UK companies can play in China’s green transition and low carbon developments; educational exchanges; and how to encourage more UK SMEs to enter China.

Commenting on the meeting, CBBC Chair, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles expressed his thanks to Dame Caroline for her contribution to UK-China relations and trade and acknowledged the value of the work of CBBC, the British Chamber of Commerce (China, Shanghai, Guangdong and Southwest chapters), and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in promoting UK-China relations.