Dear CBI Members & Partners,
China Direct thought that you would find these developments of particular interest in relation to China's recently announced Cyber Security Law and recent developments to create an Internet infrastructure separate from the current global World Wide Web.
Related web link is here.
Popular brands, including CBI members Burberry, Mulberry, British Airways and Durex, are among British companies successfully using instant messaging application WeChat in the Chinese market.
Christopher Bailey, Burberry's chief creative officer, said: "WeChat opens up a huge new world of opportunity in the digital space. The exciting thing for us is the deeper and more meaningful way that we are able to tell our stories using this platform."
Burberry lets users view London Fashion Week catwalk shows on the app, listen to translated interviews with executives, and snap up digital vouchers and promotions. British companies know they can reach Chinese consumers through social media."
In 2016, WeChat had 768 million daily logged-in users, and 60 percent of Chinese shoppers searched Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter, for brand information.
Plesae read more here.
Dear CBI Members & Partners,
Kindly find our December 2016 Summary of Member Success in China.
Wishing you success for your 2017 China business.
Download CBI China Celebrating CBI member success in China December 2016
CBI member Deloitte was the Intellectual Supporting Partner for the Computing Conference 2016 Beijing Summit.
At the event, Deloitte announced the establishment of bilateral strategic cooperation with Ali Cloud, and a launch ceremony was held for the Deloitte and Ali Cloud Managerial Innovation Lab (DAMI-lab), which will focus on exploring the front-tier practices of enterprise transformation.
Please read more here.
CBI member PwC announced that PwC China had signed a formal alliance with BitSE, a Shanghai-based blockchain start-up. Together, the two firms plan to leverage their respective strengths to bring blockchain technology to the China market through one-stop solutions.
Blockchain, or “distributed ledger”, technology has been used for a number of years but rose to prominence along with the explosive rise of Bitcoin in 2013. Blockchain is the technology behind Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. Its distributed ledger technology enables secure transactions between two parties without the need of an intermediary, such as a bank. PwC and BitSE are working closely with several local financial institutions to explore and develop plans to implement blockchain applications in the near future.
Please read more here.
On 14 April, the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai announced the launch of the 2016 British Business Awards (BBA) at the InterContinental Shanghai Ruijin.
The BBA was established in 2008, is held every two years, and has developed into a key event recognising and promoting excellence in innovation, enterprise, and endeavour in the British business community in China.
The eight award categories are as follows: British Company of the Year, Chinese Investor of the Year, Education Institution Partnership of the Year, New Business Award, Best Services Award, Sustainable Business Award, Creative Industry Award, and Innovation Award.
Applications for the BBA are accepted from April through to July, with the application deadline on 26 July. All applications must be made through the official website www.britishbusinessawards.cn.
Judges will review applications and select five finalists for each award category, who will be announced at the finalist announcement event. Interviews will be conducted in September, and the final award winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner held on 10 November 2016 in Shanghai.
Please read more here.
CBI member Huawei held its first-ever European Academic Salon, hosted at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. Bringing together 50 academics, policymakers, and industry leaders from across Europe, the discussion focused on the future direction of innovation and its implications for how universities and businesses work together.
The European Academic Salon showcased the Huawei Innovation Research Programme (HIRP), the company’s flagship funding initiative, which provides backing for leading universities and institutes conducting research in communications technologies, computer science, engineering, and related fields.
In Europe, Huawei has invested €57 million (more than £43 million) in R&D collaboration in the past three years to support more than 400 research projects.
Please read more here.
In partnership with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) recently released a comprehensive new report on China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative.
Designed as a practical guide to where the opportunities lie for UK companies, the report contains chapters on seven key sectors which stand to benefit—infrastructure, financial and professional services, advanced manufacturing and transport, agriculture, energy and resources, e-commerce and logistics, and healthcare and life sciences—and 13 major regions to help British businesses understand what the implications are in their industries and where their next steps should be.
Please find the full PDF version of the report attached below.
Dear CBI members and partners,
Please find below an executive summary of President Xi Jinping's recent state visit to the UK.
A detailed and comprehensive report can be downloaded at the bottom of this article.
Headlines:
From 20-23 October, President Xi Jinping made his state visit to the UK—the first by a Chinese president in a decade—where he was welcomed with a remarkable display of pomp, pageantry, and fanfare from the British government and Royal Family.
●Huge Chinese delegation accompanies President Xi: President Xi was accompanied by 150 Chinese business leaders, and almost 1,000 people are estimated to have travelled from China to the UK to participate in the state visit.
●Grand culmination of a very special year for UK-China relations:
Widely touted by both sides to usher in a ‘golden era’ for the bilateral relationship, the state visit marked the grand culmination of what has been a very special year for the UK-China relationship.
Key milestones in the build-up to the visit including the first ever UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange, the Duke of Cambridge’s historic outing to China in March, the UK becoming the first Western European country to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s visit to China as well as the UK-China People-to-People Dialogue last month.
●Three primary themes underpinning state visit:
The state visit was underpinned by three primary themes—signalling the openness of the UK economy to Chinese business, working together on pressing global issues, and looking to each other as ‘economies of the future’ with the growing complementarity of the UK and Chinese economies.
●Nearly £40 billion worth of agreements:
Almost £40 billion worth of commercial deals were agreed upon, spanning a wide range of sectors, such as energy, retail, financial services, aerospace, healthcare, transport, education, the creative industries, and more.
Several examples of key announcements included:
1. BP’s multi-billion dollar LNG deal with Huadian
2. Manchester Airport’s plans to host the first direct scheduled flights to mainland China outside of London.
3. Rolls-Royce’s US$2.4 billion agreement to power HNA Group’s new aircraft.
4. EDF and China General Nuclear Power Corporation’s commitment to the construction and operation of the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
5. Aston Martin and China Equity’s agreement to explore the development of a production version of Aston Martin’s fully electric RapidE concept.
●Widening the scope of bilateral relations:
The visit showcased the extent to which the UK is striving to build a very broad relationship with China—stretching beyond mere trade and investment—and lay the foundation for robust ties across the government, society, and business communities.
Download CBI China, President Xi Jinping's UK state visit, October 2015
CBI member Canary Wharf Group and the International Universities Innovation Alliance (IUIA), a company supported by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the China Investment Promotion Agency and a number of Chinese government organisations, unveiled the China Britain Innovation Hub on the 24th Floor of One Canada Square in Canary Wharf.
The China Britain Innovation Hub, with a planned floor space of 2,000 square metres, is a U.K.-China cooperation platform that will bring in Chinese and British high-tech enterprises, including projects from universities such as the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and Imperial College London.
The hub is expected to boost project incubation and investment in the fields of creative culture, financial technology, smart cities, and life science. It will invest in U.K. start-ups and provide resources for accessing the Chinese market.
Please read more here.
