The 13th Senior Leadership Forum was held in London on June 9th 2025. GBCC’s Honorary President Sir David Lidington hosted the forum with the UK delegation comprising a number of cross-party Parliamentarians including Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West MP and Shadow Foreign Office Minister Andrew Rosindell MP. The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, The Rt Hon Emily Thornberry MP and the Chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee Bill Esterson MP also attended. The Chinese delegation consisted of officials and embassy representatives led by the IDCPC Minister, Liu Jianchao.
The Senior Leadership Forum is a regular channel for dialogue between UK Parliamentarians and Chinese Party-State officials to discuss issues of strategic importance and to advance UK foreign policy priorities. Issues of shared concern were discussed, including green transition technology, AI safety governance, and changes in the global trade architecture. Parliamentarians raised their concerns regarding ongoing human rights abuses in China, the treatment of Hong Kong democracy advocates, and China’s relationship with Russia. They also called on the Chinese authorities to revoke the sanctions on UK Parliamentarians.
The Forum concluded with remarks from both sides acknowledging that while disagreements will continue on many issues, exchanges like this forum remain crucial for building a more resilient bilateral relationship and for tackling shared global challenges in a fast changing geopolitical landscape.
GBCC remains committed to delivering these vital channels of communication and to continue our work to support the UK’s key strategic foreign policy priorities.
