The China-Britain Business Council assists British companies and organizations doing business in China. The council operates through seven offices in the United Kingdom and a network of eleven cities in China.
The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) is the leading British organization promoting trade and investment between the United Kingdom and China. The council’s history dates back to the early 1950s when British companies were among the first to establish trade with Communist China and became known as the “48 Group of Companies.” At the same time, the British government had a semiofficial trade body known as the “Sino-British Trade Council,” which promoted British participation in trade fairs and exhibitions in China. Despite these trade agreements, the U.K. did not officially recognize the People’s Republic of China until 1972.
The China-Britain Trade Group was established in 1991 when the 48 Group of Companies merged with the Sino-British Trade Council with the establishment of the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry. The organization changed its name to the “China-Britain Business Council” in 1998 to reflect the growth of business between the U.K. and China, which by that point encompassed investment, trade, licensing, and other forms of business.
The objective of CBBC is to assist any British company or organization to do business in China. It works in collaboration with U.K. Trade and Investment, for whom it delivers China business development services. CBBC also cooperates with the private sector and trade associations, the British Embassy and Consulate Generals in China, the British Chamber of Commerce in China, and other regional development agencies in the U.K. In addition, CBBC provides missions to the Chinese market, business opportunities, and research, as well as a range of services for companies in the marketplace. CBBC also hosts inward delegations from China, arranges events in the U.K. and China, and hosts business events for senior Chinese leaders visiting the U.K.
CBBC operates through seven offices in the U.K. and a network of eleven cities throughout China. The main office is in Beijing, and the other offices are located in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chengdu, Qingdao, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Guangzhou and Chongqing.
CBBC relies on a bilingual and experienced staff and other organizations to provide business leaders with tailored advice and support in all aspects of setting up a presence and doing business in China. CBBC conducts smaller research projects through the Overseas Market Introduction Service for China and also provides in-house research services tailored to the needs of each company. All research is carried out by CBBC’s project managers across the China offices. CBBC has conducted research projects that encompass a wide range of sectors, including both product and service industries, and has processed a diverse variety of enquiries.
One of CBBC’s services, Launchpad, offers CBBC member companies a fast, cost-effective, and low-risk way to establish a presence in China by providing office space, a dedicated CBBC project manager, and support in one of the CBBC China offices.
Further Reading
China-Britain Business Council. (2008). Retrieved October 14, 2008, from http://www.cbbc.org/
Source: Silfverberg, Lotta. (2009). China-Britain Business Council. In Linsun Cheng, et al. (Eds.), Berkshire Encyclopedia of China, pp. 344–345. Great Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing.
China-Britain Business Council (Y?ng-Zh?ng Màoyì Xiéhuì ??????)|Y?ng-Zh?ng Màoyì Xiéhuì ?????? (China-Britain Business Council)
