The UK-China Business & Innovation Hub inaugurated in Suzhou

Recently, the UK-China Business & Innovation Hub was officially inaugurated in Suzhou, Jiangsu province. Fan Bo, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee; Zhao Yan, vice governor of Jiangsu province; Sir Sebastian Wood KCMG, chair of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC); Lewis Neal, HM Trade Commissioner for China; Matt Burney CMG, British Consul-General Shanghai; and Huang Aijun, deputy secretary of the CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Suzhou Municipal People’s Congress, attended the opening ceremony.

The Hub represents a new milestone in China-UK cooperation and serves as a flagship platform for the CBBC to deepen engagement with Jiangsu. In January, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited China and attended the UK-China Business Forum, where he witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding for the UK-China Business & Innovation Hub between Suzhou New District and the CBBC. Following four months of preparation, the Hub was officially launched in Suzhou New District.

Leveraging Suzhou’s strong industrial foundation and innovation ecosystem in the Yangtze River Delta region, the Hub will capitalize on the CBBC’s bridging role to explore cooperation models such as “Made in Suzhou + British Brands” and “UK Technology + Suzhou Market.” It aims to promote industrial collaborative innovation, expand two-way trade, facilitate capital matching, and deepen talent exchanges while building a two-way cooperation platform spanning investment promotion, innovation incubation, industrial collaboration, and cultural exchange. Its goal is to develop internationally influential UK-China cooperation projects.

In his remarks, Sir Sebastian Wood noted that Suzhou is one of China’s leading manufacturing bases and innovation centers, providing a dynamic industrial ecosystem for the growth of British enterprises. The opening of the Hub in Suzhou will further strengthen trade and cultural exchanges between the UK and Suzhou. He said he looked forward to both sides continuing to expand cooperation in services trade, technological innovation, and other areas while sharing development opportunities.

At the ceremony, nine cooperation projects covering financial services, the conference and exhibition economy, and cross-border investment were signed and will be launched through the Hub.