The UK-China Business Forum 2025 Returns on 5th March in London
The event attracted leading speakers representing the UK and Chinese Governments, HSBC, KPMG, BYD, Standard Chartered, Bank of China, University of Birmingham, Alibaba, Brand Finance and the UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing, amongst many others.
Together, they took a deep dive and shared cross-industry insights into areas including healthcare, the Chinese consumer market, smart transport, and investment opportunities into both the UK and China.
The day provided ample opportunities for attendees to network and mingle with like-minded peers as well as industry leaders, and was followed by CBBC’s Spring Reception.
The UK-China Business Forum 2025 kicked off with Welcoming Remarks & Opening Keynotes from Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles KCMG LVO, Chair, China-Britain Business Council; Senior Adviser, HSBC Holdings plc, Emma Reynolds MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury and City Minister, HM Treasury, and Wang Qi, Chargé d'Affaires, Chinese Embassy.
The first panel of the day, which was sponsored by Standard Chartered, explored China's Role in an Evolving Global Economy - examining China's position as a global player in the context of a new world order which presents a host of opportunities and challenges both across bilateral and third country relationships. The panel was hosted by: Gordon Orr, Non-Executive Director of Swire Pacific, Meituan, Lenovo, Fidelity China Special Situations Investment Trust, and EQT AB, who was joined by speakers Fang Wenjian, Chairman of China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, General Manager of Bank of China London Branch, Becky Liu, Managing Director, Head, China Macro Strategy, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Ltd, Trey McArver, Co-Founder of Trivium/China, and Dr Carwyn Morris, University Lecturer of Digital China at Leiden University, Netherlands.
The second panel of the day, which was sponsored by Red Rock Renewables, examined China's Role in the UK - Inward Investment Opportunities. The session highlighted opportunities for Chinese businesses to invest in the UK and support the UK government's growth agenda; and the potential of partnerships that can support the UK's ambitious Net Zero commitments and bring Chinese innovation and new technologies to partners in the UK. The panel was hosted by Huang Shan, Director & Senior Fellow, Caixin Insight. Speakers joining included: Joe Li, Head of China Desk, HSBC UK Commercial Banking, Natasha Luther-Jones, Partner, Global Co-Chair, Energy and Natural Resources Sector and International Head, Sustainability & ESG, DLA Piper, Yang Ming, CEO of Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd, and John Dykes, Sales Deputy Director for UK, Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Limited.
Following the first two panels of the day, we were joined by Simon Bisp, Head of Sales, BYD UK and Ireland who took part in a CEO Fireside Chat with CBBC’s Chief Executive, Peter Burnett OBE BBS. In this one-on-one discussion, Simon shared his views on the UK as a destination for BYD's international growth - sharing cutting-edge industry insights with attendees.
Following lunch and networking, the day’s dedicated Breakout Sessions took place.
The first Breakout Session of the day, Building Brand Loyalty and Cultural Relevance in the Chinese Consumer Market was sponsored by TONG Global, and explored the potential of collaborations between UK and Chinese brands and emerging key trends that will define the market going forwards. The session was hosted by Celine Tang, Retail & E-commerce Sector Lead, China-Britain Business Council, with David Haigh, Chairman and CEO, Brand Finance Plc, Jack Porteous, Commercial Director, TONG Global, Kai-Chuan Chao, Commercial and Cultural Partnerships, East Asia Lead, The British Library, and Antoaneta Becker, Director, Consumer Economy, China-Britain Business Council joining as speakers.
Taking place at the same time was a Breakout Session on How Can the UK's Green Transition leverage China's Industrial Might? This session explored China’s renewable energy assets and how China and the UK can collaborate to realise the UK’s Net Zero targets. The panel was hosted by James Brodie, Regional Director, Scotland, Commercial Director, Industrial, China-Britain Business Council who was joined by panellists Chong Ng, Associate Director - Applied Research, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Alexander Grant, Partner, Pinsent Masons, and David Finnon, CTO, Red Rock Renewables.
Following a short break, our next round of breakout sessions kicked off with Prevent, Optimise, Thrive: Global Health Innovation Across Borders - a session exploring the changes that an aging population bring to healthcare. The panel explored innovations across the private sector and academia: addressing global health challenges, leveraging shared expertise in preventative care, digital health, and patient-centred approaches. The session was led by Elinor Greenhouse, Senior Adviser, Tech and Innovation, China-Britain Business Council, who was joined by speakers: Sarah Nolan, Head of Global Programmes, UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA), Xiaoming Gao (Gavin), CEO, Penlon Limited, Vladimir Tsaganov, Head of AI Products and Solutions, Alibaba Cloud International, and Sharon (Ling Zhi) Heng, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Moorfields Private Eye Hospital.
Alongside this, there was a session on Driving UK-China Collaboration in Smart Transport - which explored the opportunities for UK businesses to work with, as well as benefit from the advances that have been made in China’s smart transport solutions: with collaboration in this area offering environmental benefits to the UK, as well as financial benefits to companies, their employees and the country as a whole. The session was hosted by James Brodie, Regional Director, Scotland, Commercial Director, Industrial, China-Britain Business Council, who was joined by speakers Simon Bisp, Head of Sales, BYD UK and Ireland, David Wong, Head of Innovation and Technology, SMMT, Professor Xu Hongming, Chair of Energy and Automotive Engineering and Head of the Vehicle Research Centre, University of Birmingham, and Herbert Lonsdale, International Automotive Consultant and former Global Skills Ambassador for the Institute of the Motor Industry.
The UK-China Business Forum 2025 concluded with a final CEO Fireside Chat of the day, in which CBBC’s Chief Executive, Peter Burnett OBE BBS sat down with Sir David Quarrey, Group Head of Public Affairs, HSBC. David shared valuable insights on the current state of UK-China relations and opportunities for economic growth and business collaboration in today’s geopolitical climate.
Following the Forum, attendees had the opportunity to join CBBC’s Spring Reception – an always enjoyable occasion to catch up with old friends and network with new contacts, while celebrating the achievements of CBBC and our members. The Reception was sponsored by China Telecom (Europe) Ltd and Alibaba Cloud.
With thanks to our Sponsors and Supporting Partners
Please direct any further enquiries about the UK-China Business Forum 2025 to Enquiries@cbbc.org.