The UK delegation was led by GBCC’s Honorary President Sir David Lidington and included a cross-party group of UK parliamentarians, including Select Committee Chairs Liam Byrne MP and Bill Esterson MP; former Minister for the Indo-Pacific Catherine West MP; Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Lord Callanan; and Foreign Affairs Select Committee member Sir John Whittingdale MP and Alan Gemmell MP. GBCC’s Honorary Vice President Cathy Ashton was also in attendance.
The Chinese delegation was led by IDCPC Minister Liu Haixing and comprised senior party-state officials.
GBCC’s Senior Leadership Forum is a trusted institutional dialogue that gives MPs and Peers across Parliament the opportunity to discuss issues of strategic interest and concern for the UK with interlocuters at the highest level within the Chinese system.
The bilateral relationship has evolved since the last Senior Leadership Forum in 2025, the Prime Minister visited Beijing in January and it is welcome that China has lifted sanctions on British Parliamentarians. However, challenges in the bilateral relationship do still remain. Parliamentarians used the forum to raise examples of the benefits of UK-China partnership and called for greater cooperation on climate change and the green transition, AI governance and economic growth.
UK delegates also raised specific concerns with the Chinese interlocutors, including China’s ongoing support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and human rights abuses in Tibet and Xinjiang. The delegation called for the immediate release of Jimmy Lai, a British citizen.
In addition to the Forum itself, the delegation had calls on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National People’s Congress and also met with Wang Huning, Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and member of the Politburo Standing Committee.
In an increasingly turbulent world, it is more important than ever before that the UK and China continue to engage on issues of global and national importance. GBCC remains committed to supporting these vital channels of communication and discussion.