BritCham China meets with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy

On Saturday 19th October, Rachel Tsang, Managing Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, co-chaired a high-level business roundtable in Shanghai with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, alongside members of the British business community.

During the discussion, Rachel shared key preliminary insights from our annual Sentiment Survey, offering a unique perspective by highlighting the adaptability and resilience of UK SMEs in China. SMEs have demonstrated greater agility in navigating shifting market conditions, however, they are also calling for increased support from the UK government to help them further leverage growth opportunities in this dynamic market.

She also highlighted the importance of sustained engagement between the two nations:

“The UK’s approach to China has fluctuated over the past 14 years, and this inconsistency has directly impacted businesses operating here. Our members are calling for a stable, strategic relationship to strengthen bilateral ties.”

Many of our talking points with the Foreign Secretary were informed by the voices of over 100 British businesses who have filled out our Sentiment Survey – the biggest data collection of its kind on British business sentiment towards the Chinese market. If you haven’t filled out the survey yet and want to lend your business’s voice to our future government advocacy, please take 15 minutes to support us in getting a fuller picture of British sentiment towards the Chinese market.

Any British company with a presence or operation in China can participate in the survey, no matter if you’re based in China, the UK, or elsewhere. All responses are kept anonymous in the report analysis and individualised data will only be seen by the Chamber team.

We want to know what British businesses are thinking about their operations in China. Tell us about your confidence in the Chinese market, your plans for investment this year, and how you rate UK-China bilateral relations. Through the survey, the Chamber will capture a holistic and national perspective on sentiment from British business in China.

Click here to take the survey, or click here to learn more about the Sentiment Survey and previous results.