The third UK-Greater Bay Area (GBA) Conference concluded in Shenzhen's Qianhai on Nov. 20, releasing impressive figures for China-UK economic collaboration: from January to October 2025, Qianhai-UK trade reached 1.52 billion US dollars, and investment by 59 British companies in Qianhai totaled 560 million US dollars.
The conference featured discussions on finance, technology, platform development, and related sectors, attracting over 200 government and business leaders.
Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, former Chairman of the China-Britain Business Council, highlighted the GBA's emergence as a "global bay area." He noted that Britain's strengths in finance, professional services, and life sciences align with China's focus on consumption upgrading and service sector development in its next Five-Year Plan.
Huang Xiaopeng, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Working Committee of Qianhai Cooperation Zone, confirmed Qianhai's commitment to strengthening cooperation with British businesses and welcomed global entrepreneurs to Shenzhen for the APEC 2026 summit.
British Ambassador to China, Peter Wilson CMG, emphasized building a "consistent, long-term, and strategic" UK-China relationship. He highlighted Britain's advantages in financial services, life sciences, clean energy, and AI – where Britain hosts 168 unicorns, ranking third globally in terms of economic contribution.
Representatives from Prudential, HSBC, and CIMA identified significant opportunities in the GBA's financial openness, talent mobility, and technological innovation. Participants noted a strong complementarity between the GBA's market application capabilities and Britain's research and innovation expertise.
The UK-GBA Conference, initiated by The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) in 2023, has become an established platform for practical cooperation.
Reporter | Cai Minling
Photo | China-Britain Business Council
Editor | Huang Qini, James Campion, Shen He
