Latest news with #BritishFirms
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
British firms in China lament burdensome environment, but commitment to market remains
For the fifth straight year, more British businesses report that doing business in China has become increasingly difficult. And they are once again calling for a more favourable policy environment where 'rules that are clear, fairly enforced and consistently applied', according to the latest position paper by the British Chamber of Commerce in China. As political disputes threaten to upend the global economic order, China also has an opportunity to distinguish itself if barriers can be removed, the chamber said. And despite the challenges they are facing, British firms 'continue to demonstrate substantial engagement with, and commitment to, the Chinese market'. For British firms doing business in China in the past year, there has been a growing sense of unease around regulatory opacity, rising compliance costs and complexities, geopolitical uncertainties and a perceived depreciation of foreign firms in China's evolving industrial policy, the chamber said in the paper published on Wednesday. The trend now reflects deeper structural and geopolitical concerns far beyond the lingering effects of the pandemic in the early 2020s that centred on travel restrictions and logistical disruptions. 01:26 China's Xi doubles down on self-reliance, rallying officials to bolster manufacturing China's Xi doubles down on self-reliance, rallying officials to bolster manufacturing Meanwhile, the percentage of firms feeling confident about China's long-term outlook has declined, year on year, even as many continue to see opportunity, the report said. Compounded by escalating tensions between China and the US – including technological decoupling and national security disputes – many British firms now find themselves caught between the competing superpowers and are delaying investments not just in China, but globally with any China exposure.
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU and UK reach tentative agreement ahead of summit -officials
BRUSSELS, May 19 (Reuters) - European Union and British negotiators reached a tentative agreement on defence and security, fisheries and youth mobility ahead of a EU-UK summit on Monday, paving the way for British firms to participate in large EU defence contracts, EU officials said. Representatives of EU governments in Brussels received a text of a Common Understanding between Britain and the EU and the document is now being approved by all 27 EU governments, the officials said.
Bloomberg
13-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK's Healey on Defense Spending, Russia Sanctions, Ukraine
UK Defense Secretary John Healey says the UK and European Union are in the toughest stage of talks aiming to secure a common security and defense pact. Healey spoke to Bloomberg's Lizzy Burden about his goal to secure access to European spending programs for British firms. (Source: Bloomberg)
