Select Committee · Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
China and the UK economy
Status: Open
Opened: 5 Mar 2026
Inquiry scope
In this inquiry, the Business and Trade Committee will scrutinise the Government’s approach to economic engagement with China. In particular, it will assess the potential net benefits to the UK of deeper economic integration with China, and how these benefits compare to the risks that closer ties with China may bring. The Committee will aim to clarify the precise nature of the economic relationship between the UK and China, setting out the hazards involved and determining the relative level of risk for different areas of economic engagement. It will assess the way Government weighs trade-offs and makes decisions, the effectiveness of its existing regulatory toolkit and implementation. Finally, it will explore how the UK’s allies and partners are mitigating these risks, the lessons that the UK could draw, and the ways in which the UK and its allies might strengthen co-operation to address the economic security challenges posed by China.Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Jun 2026 | Chris Bryant · Department for Business and Trade, David Sheen · UK Hospitality, Joanne Thomas · Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, Kate Joseph · Department for Business and Trade, Lewis Neal · Department for Business and Trade, Matthew Taylor CBE · Fair Work Agency, Mr Sampson Low · UNISON, Mr Tim Harrison · Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, Tom Ironside · British Retail Consortium (BRC) | View ↗ |
| 9 Jun 2026 | Ben Moore · Russell Group, Charles Parton OBE · Council on Geostrategy, Professor Christopher Smith · UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Professor Madeline Carr · University College London, Department of Computer Science, Sam Dunning · UK-China Transparency, Tor Indstøy · Telenor | View ↗ |
| 19 May 2026 | Aline Doussin · Hogan Lovells, Andrew Small · European Council on Foreign Relations, Dr Ron Black, George Magnus · University of Oxford China Centre and School of Oriental and African Studies, Grzegorz Stec · Mercator Institute for China Studies, Joerg Wuttke · DGA Group, Professor Laura Murphy · Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, Sheffield Hallam University, Sam Goodman · China Strategic Risks Institute, Sam Olsen · Sibylline, Silvia Gavornikova · Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Soumaya Keynes · Financial Times | View ↗ |
| 21 Apr 2026 | James Brougham · Make UK, Julian Scriven · Brompton Bicycle, Miles Celic · TheCityUK, Peter Burnett OBE · China-Britain Business Council, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson · University of Edinburgh, Rain Newton-Smith · Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Sabina Ciofu · techUK, Shaun Grady · AstraZeneca UK | View ↗ |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Aline Doussin · Partner, Global Regulatory | Hogan Lovells | 1 |
| Andrew Small · Asia Programme Director | European Council on Foreign Relations | 1 |
| Ben Moore · Head of Policy (International) | Russell Group | 1 |
| Charles Parton OBE · Associate Fellow | Council on Geostrategy | 1 |
| Chris Bryant · Minister for Trade | Department for Business and Trade | 1 |
| David Sheen · Public Affairs Director | UK Hospitality | 1 |
| Dr Ron Black | — | 1 |
| George Magnus · Research Associate | University of Oxford China Centre and School of Oriental and African Studies | 1 |
| Grzegorz Stec · Head of Brussels Office and Senior Analyst | Mercator Institute for China Studies | 1 |
| James Brougham · Senior Economist | Make UK | 1 |
| Joanne Thomas · General Secretary | Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers | 1 |
| Joerg Wuttke · Partner | DGA Group | 1 |
| Julian Scriven · Managing Director of Bike Hire | Brompton Bicycle | 1 |
| Kate Joseph · Director General, Economic Security and Trade Relations | Department for Business and Trade | 1 |
| Lewis Neal · HM Trade Commissioner for China | Department for Business and Trade | 1 |
| Matthew Taylor CBE · Chair | Fair Work Agency | 1 |
| Miles Celic · Chief Executive Officer | TheCityUK | 1 |
| Mr Sampson Low · Head of Policy | UNISON | 1 |
| Mr Tim Harrison · Head of Secretariat | Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement | 1 |
| Peter Burnett OBE · Chief Executive | China-Britain Business Council | 1 |
| Professor Christopher Smith · Executive Chair, Arts and Humanities Research Council | UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) | 1 |
| Professor Laura Murphy · Professor of Human Rights and Contemporary Slavery | Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, Sheffield Hallam University | 1 |
| Professor Madeline Carr · Professor of Global Politics and Cyber Security | University College London, Department of Computer Science | 1 |
| Professor Sir Peter Mathieson · Principal and Vice-Chancellor | University of Edinburgh | 1 |
| Rain Newton-Smith · Chief Executive | Confederation of British Industry (CBI) | 1 |
| Sabina Ciofu · International Policy and Strategy Lead | techUK | 1 |
| Sam Dunning · Director | UK-China Transparency | 1 |
| Sam Goodman · Senior Policy Director | China Strategic Risks Institute | 1 |
| Sam Olsen · Chief Analyst | Sibylline | 1 |
| Shaun Grady · Chair | AstraZeneca UK | 1 |
| Silvia Gavornikova · Head of Export Credits and Competition Division, Trade and Agriculture Directorate | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | 1 |
| Soumaya Keynes · Columnist | Financial Times | 1 |
| Tom Ironside · Director, Business and Regulation | British Retail Consortium (BRC) | 1 |
| Tor Indstøy · Vice-President, Risk Management and Threat Intelligence | Telenor | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep 2026 | To committee | Letter from the Minister for Trade relating to the Committee's inquiry on China and the UK economy, 16 July 2026 |
| 7 Jul 2026 | To committee | Letter from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster relating to the Government’s position on Ming Yang, 6 July 2026 |
| 30 Jun 2026 | From committee | Letter to the Cabinet Office relating to the Government's position on Ming Yang, 22 June 2026 |
| 19 May 2026 | To committee | Letter from Professor Sir Peter Mathieson relating to the Committee's inquiry on China and the UK economy, 23 April 2026 |