A delegation of senior British officials is visiting China to explore opportunities for scientific cooperation that will benefit both countries.
These researchers are working on some of the UK’s biggest challenges, including climate change and health, and their work will be strengthened by new opportunities to collaborate with Chinese experts.
A UK delegation, made up of people from the national academies, the university sector and UKRI, and led by Minister for Science Vallance, will meet Chinese politicians, academics and business leaders in Beijing today.
The talks will allow the UK and China to agree on specific areas in which they can work together on scientific cooperation, and where both countries can benefit.
Promoting scientific collaboration across some of the world’s most important industries
Today’s 11th UK-China Joint Committee on Science and Technology meeting is part of the UK’s consistent and pragmatic approach to China to deliver economic growth and support UK jobs and business.
As part of his visit to China in September, Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said he has already won more than £1 billion of market access over the past five years for British companies, including world-class car manufacturing and the food and drink industry.
The Joint Committee meeting to be held today will discuss four specific areas of scientific cooperation where the UK believes there is potential benefit from working more closely with China.
The conference will explore specific research areas in climate change and environmental science, planetary science and astronomy, health research, and agriculture and food research.
Lord Vallance will see some of the opportunities this type of research brings to the fight against climate change, particularly during a visit to Tsinghua University’s Carbon Neutrality Institute, one of China’s leading decarbonization research institutes.
He will also visit the UK-China Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Center in Guangzhou, where researchers and companies from both countries are collaborating on future climate solutions.
Benefits of the UK-China partnership
Scientific cooperation between the UK and China is mutually beneficial.
Home to four of the world’s top 10 universities and a growing $1.2 trillion technology sector, the UK is a natural destination for cutting-edge science and research.
Home to 25% of the world’s R&D workforce and 20% of the world’s top academic institutions, China brings great ambition and expertise to science and research.
Both countries are well placed to benefit from targeted cooperation in areas such as global health, climate change and the environment.
Lord Vallance, UK Science Secretary, explained: “Science is international by definition and we can achieve more by working with others. This can be achieved through careful, smart and informed international scientific cooperation.”
“The UK, China and the world will benefit from harnessing the huge potential of our scientists and researchers to jointly make breakthroughs in global health, clean energy and other areas.”
Difficult areas of disagreement are key to collaboration
Today’s Joint Committee meeting is part of our work to bring about a coherent, long-term, strategic approach to managing UK-China scientific cooperation based on the UK’s national interests.
Minister Vallance will continue to challenge China on areas of disagreement throughout his public life, as British ministers have consistently done in their discussions with their Chinese counterparts.
These include China’s support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, the continued erosion of protected rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, including the case of British national Jimmy Lai, and growing concerns about incidents of interference with Britain’s democratic institutions.
He will also raise concerns about China’s approach to data, intellectual property and technology transfer, and will make clear that the UK will never tolerate foreign attempts to suppress free speech or academic freedom.
Lord Vallance concluded: “The UK wants a stable, consistent and mutually beneficial relationship with China, where we can air our differences and uphold and uphold academic freedom, but also find opportunities for targeted cooperation that is in the interests of both countries.”
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