London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

U.K.-China relations are at a critical point. Here’s what Britain’s new Ambassador to China is prioritizing

U.K.-China relations are at a critical point. Here’s what Britain’s new Ambassador to China is prioritizing

U.K.-China relations are at a critical juncture, going from what British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne described as a "golden era" in 2015 to a period rife with conflict over technology and geopolitics.
The sweeping new national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in June is one major trouble spot. The U.K. says the law violates an agreement China and Britain signed in 1997, when the U.K. passed sovereignty of Hong Kong, its former colony, to China. In response to the law, the U.K. extended British citizenship rights to some Hong Kong residents in July, a move that Beijing condemned as foreign interference in domestic affairs.

Another point of tension is the U.K.'s treatment of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies. The U.K. announced in July that British telecoms providers will be banned from using Huawei equipment in the U.K.'s 5G mobile network, citing national security risks. (Huawei has previously denied allegations that its products pose security risks.)

That was the state of play when Caroline Wilson, a diplomat with previous posts in Beijing, Brussels, Moscow, and Hong Kong, was tapped to become British Ambassador to China in June; and she formally assumed the role in October.

"It's a difficult time and I sometimes have to manage differences and controversial, sensitive aspects of the relationship," Wilson said in an interview at Fortune China's Most Powerful Women Summit in Shanghai on Thursday. "We're not always going to be able to agree on everything, but basically there's so much that we have to do together."

Wilson identified public health and climate change as two vital issues she plans to address in her role as ambassador. She said China can "do more" to ensure the world's poorest countries have access to COVID-19 vaccines.

On the vaccine front, "China does a huge amount globally," Wilson said, citing China's participation in COVAX, a global initiative to ensure equitable access to coronavirus vaccines. "But we think they could do even more and be even more effective," she said.

Climate change is another area where she hopes the U.K. and China can pool their efforts, Wilson said.

In November, she visited China's southern metropolis of Shenzhen to advocate for more climate change collaboration between the U.K. and China through projects like a joint tech lab for offshore wind.

"Showing that we can get global action on climate change is going to be very important," Wilson said, pointing out that both countries are scheduled to host major environmental summits in 2021—the UN biodiversity conference in Kunming, China, in May, and the UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, in Glasgow in November.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's September announcement that China will aim to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2060 and peak carbon emissions by 2030, Wilson added, "is very, very significant" for global climate goals.

In laying out her top priorities, Wilson said the coronavirus pandemic has shown that countries need to work together on global issues like public health and the environment "more than ever."

"I want to build a strong relationship between the U.K. and China. To do that, I want to show that this is a relationship that delivers, both for people in China and for people in the United Kingdom," Wilson said.

Still, she acknowledged that the rocky period in the U.K.-China relationship called for "frank dialogue...to allow for management of differences and divergence of view."

And Wilson, a fluent Mandarin speaker who flitted between English and Chinese while answering audience questions, says she's well-suited for the challenge.

"At the present time, the personality of the ambassador is quite important," she said. This moment in history calls for "the human touch—showing that we are all human and that we have more interests in common than [what] divide us," she said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
×