Dame Barbara Woodward shares insights from Beijing as China tackles coronavirus

With China implementing new measures to prevent a second wave of coronavirus cases and industry coming back online across the country, Asia House was joined by Dame Barbara Woodward, British Ambassador to China, for a private briefing with Corporate Members.

Speaking live from Beijing via video link, Dame Barbara shared insights on the latest developments as China reroutes flights away from the capital in a bid to limit the spread of the virus – with imported cases emerging as a key area of concern.

The new measures come as China returns online after its unprecedented lockdown, and the Ambassador provided an update on this return to operations as well as the sentiment on the ground.

The importance of existing UK-China relations and the crucial, practical role they are playing during the crisis was also highlighted.

With Asia House Corporate Members joining the discussion online, the Ambassador took questions on a range of issues, from UK-China trade and the prospects of an FTA, to the role of the G20 in the global response to COVID-19. The situation in Hong Kong and the UK’s position on Huawei were also discussed.

The discussion was the first in a series of digital briefings convened by Asia House exclusively for Corporate Members amid the global turmoil caused by coronavirus. Edward Yau, Secreatry for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong Special Administrative Area will be briefing Corporate Members on Wednesday March 25, and Nazir Razak, former Chairman of CIMB Group and member of the Asia House Advisory Board, will be discussing Malaysia’s volatile politics on March 31.

For more information, please contact Evie Cramb, Programme Coordinator, at evie.cramb@asiahouse.co.uk