On 27, May CBBC met with Zeng Qi, Vice President of CITIC Group, at the China Zun Tower. Vice President Zeng spoke on CITIC’s role as a bridge connecting China with the outside world . The vice president invited CBBC to help with organising a trip for British companies to China . Sir Sherard reviewed the progress in UK-China relations over recent months and raised ways in which CBBC and CITIC could work together to facilitate UK-China investment. Subsequently members of CBBC’s leadership team and senior leaders from CITIC’s departments, joint ventures and subsidiaries gave reports on their work and shared specific opportunities for collaboration.

Meeting with CASS

On the morning of 28 May, CBBC met with the leaders of Chinese think tanks at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) to discuss UK-China relations and global geopolitics. Feng Zhongping, Director of the Institute of European Studies at CASS, opened the discussion with a review of how China’s planning and thinking on foreign policy has evolved over the last two decades and emphasized that it is in no one’s interest to destroy the global market trade system. Sir Sherard then delved into the UK’s past and present thinking on the relationship with China and also the US. The second half of the meeting consisted of a Q&A wherein leading researchers from the assembled think tanks sought insights from CBBC on questions ranging from the significance of the UK’s recent trade deals to the UK’s upcoming China audit

You can find out about all 3 legs of the trip and the full programme of high level engagement here: Summary of the CBBC Chair Visit, May 2025