Lords Select Committee to hear evidence on UK-China trade and investment links, Chinese approach to global governance and its position on World Trade Organisation reform

On Tuesday 18 May the committee will hear evidence in two sessions which will take place virtually from 3pm and will be available to watch live or on demand at Parliament TV.

Giving evidence will be:

3pm

• Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chair of the China-Britain Business Council; and
• Fang Wenjian, Chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK.

4pm

• Professor Wei Liang, Co-chair of the International Trade and Economic Diplomacy Programme, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California; and
• Dr Linda Yueh, Fellow in Economics, St Edmund Hall, Oxford University, and Adjunct Professor of Economics, London Business School.

Questions will include:

• Are the UK and China interested in increasing bilateral trade? What are the potential obstacles to this? Which sectors offer the best opportunities? To what extent are these issues that require Government engagement (such as regulation and trade barriers?).
• What was the impact of the Government’s decision on Huawei on business? How did it affect the activities of other Chinese companies in the UK, and British companies in China?

Chinese policy

• Is there a Chinese approach to global governance? What is the role of multilateral organisations such as the AIIB or regional agreements such as the RCEP and the CPTPP in the ‘Chinese governance model’?
• What is the Digital Silk Road (DSR) initiative, and what are its aims? In what ways might the DSR interact with or confront the UK's economic and security interests?
• What are China's positions on WTO reform and the Doha Round issues? How do Chinese positions in services, data governance and intellectual property compare to those of the UK?