China Programme

The UK is home to many Chinese institutions with the City of London being home to over 40 of these Chinese institutions.

The City of London Corporation Trade and Investment – High Growth Markets team, work alongside key stakeholders, in industry and government to promote and support the interests of the UK and Chinese financial institutions. Furthering opportunities for collaboration and strengthening bilateral trade between the UK and China.

We have three priority work streams for our China focused work.

Investment management

As the world’s second largest asset management centre, behind the US, the UK have over £11.6 trillion assets under management. The UK’s outstanding global reputation attracts a wide range of retail and institutional investors from across the world.

To expand on the potential of the UK’s asset management sector, the City of London Corporation the Department for International Trade and the Investment Association have launched Global Investment Futures, an international campaign to promote and support the UK’s leading investment management offer.

Under the campaign, asset managers and owners gain access to market opportunities and introductions to industry specialists as well as networking opportunities to interact with global events and the Asset Management ecosystem in the UK (including managers, advisers, and senior VIPs).

Green finance

The UK's world-wide reach in financial services ideally places it to build global partnerships in green and sustainable finance. With a longstanding, well – established reputation as a leader in sustainable finance the UK has a wealth of experience and expertise to draw on.

The City of London Corporation has been working collaboratively through the UK – China Green Finance taskforce, with China on Green Finance since 2016. Under this initiative, both sides jointly work across six vital themes including Green Belt and Road, Green Capital Markets, Green Banking and Regulation; Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG); and Sustainable Investing, Data Disclosure and Green Technology and Innovation.

The City of London Corporation also established the UK-China Green Finance Centre in 2019. The Centre’s overarching mission is to enhance UK and China green finance cooperation to accelerate the global transition to an environmentally sustainable future. Under the Centre’s leadership the UK-China ESG Leaders Forum was established. The Forum is a practitioner-led initiative to further embed ESG integration into the UK and Chinese investment community and to promote the best practice that can be replicated in both markets.

For more information about the UK – China Green Finance Centre and the ESG Leaders Forum initiative and the Green Investment Principles for the Belt and Road Initiative, please visit: UK-China Green Finance Centre and Green Investment Principles.

RMB business

The UK is the world’s leading foreign exchange centre and the largest offshore RMB hub outside of Greater China. We are working to boost the already rapid growth of the UK’s RMB business volumes, and support mutually beneficial trade and investment between the UK and China.

The City of London Corporation RMB initiative, which was first launched in 2012, aims to support the UK as the leading offshore RMB centre outside of Greater China. In 2018, the City of London Corporation in partnership with the People’s Bank of China Representative Office for Europe, established the London RMB Market Monitoring Working Group. This is an industry-led group to discuss and explore ways to strengthen London RMB business. The key focus areas for the Group include:

• Enhance market players knowledge of the UK’s RMB offshore market through the publication of the London RMB Business Quarterly report.
• Support the development of the UK’s offshore RMB business
• Explore ways to strengthen market connectivity and explore innovative offshore RMB products for the UK market