The dialogue was attended by HUANG Guanglie, Director General-level Official; HONG Qian, Chief of the Guangzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau; TAN Minghe, Mayor of Liwan District, Guangzhou; Tom Simpson, Managing Director, China-Britain Business Council China; Matt Moody, Consul General of the British Consulate-General Guangzhou; and Grace Carey, Minister Counsellor of the British Embassy in Beijing. Before the dialogue, TAN Ping, Vice Mayor of Guangzhou, met with senior officials and business representatives from the UK.

A group of CBBC’s member companies presented at the dialogue together with senior officials from the British Consulate-General in Guangzhou, the British Embassy Science & Technology Team, and around 20 corresponding departments of the Guangzhou Municipal Government and the Liwan District Government.

CBBC Members shared their experiences of operating businesses in Guangzhou and raised questions covering topics in a range of sectors for discussion with the Guangzhou Municipal Government, including the finance, information technology, real estate, infrastructure, consumer, pharmaceuticals, and tourism & hospitality sectors. Government officials and business representatives from both China and the UK expressed strong desire to advance Guangzhou-UK economic and trade cooperation during the roundtable dialogue.

“We see a growing range of complementary areas for further UK investment activity in Guangzhou,” Tom Simpson said during his closing speech, “Financial and professional services, education, healthcare, creative industries, and technology are all major strengths of the British economy, while at the same time being key industries for Guangzhou. GBA integration, with Guangzhou playing a central role, also presents a significant opportunity for UK business to leverage their presence in the region to provide services and products across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau.”