My written evidence for the UK Government’s China Audit, titled “Engaging plural China with industrial cooperation, investment in localised research and specialised diplomatic teams”, was published by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons on the UK Parliament’s website.
Here’s a summary of my advice:
Section 1 – Engaging Plural China
– Recognise ‘China’ as a plural set of state and non-state actors, not a monolithic bloc
– Diversify UK policy away from zero-sum geopolitics toward nuanced critical engagement
– Leverage local and Global South/Global Majority expertise to inform strategic choices
– Pursue cooperative partnerships in trade, technology, humanitarian aid and green industries
– Embed production localisation in the UK’s green industrial agenda
Section 2 – Building Institutional Expertise & Independent Research
– Create a dedicated, well-funded China coordination structure across government
– Expand independent, fieldwork-based research on Global China via UKRI and ESRC
Read here: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/141409/html/.
Further written evidence from the China Audit (I recommend the insightful evidence by Dr Giulia Sciorati): https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/78/foreign-affairs-committee/publications/written-evidence/?page=2.
Frank Maracchione 