UK-China Policy Forum

OCPL was proud to facilitate the UK-China Policy Forum (UKCPF) with the support of the Oxford Policy Engagement Network, a space for academics and practitioners to learn from and with each on the most pressing issues in US-China relations, with a particular focus on their policy impact in the UK. Through UKCPF, academics gained a better understanding of the most pressing issues facing London-based practitioners, while researchers were able to share key frameworks and findings with policymakers, building a space for academic and policy actors to better understand how to integrate their distinctive work can support each other. UKCPF met monthly to discuss a particularly pressing topic. Broad topic areas included:

  • Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI governance

  • Supply chains, economic statecraft, and decoupling

  • Health, pandemic prevention, and biotechnology

  • China-facing capabilities and talent pipelines

  • The human dimension of tense relations

Members of the Forum were selected on an individual basis for their personal commitment to engaging with US-China relations in a rigorous and evidence-based manner from key positions of policy practice based in and around Westminster. We are grateful to the Tony Blair Institute for serving as our primary policy partner on this initiative.

The first iteration of the UK-China Policy Forum successfully ran from January-July 2023.

Previous Coordinators

Having pursued a successful career as a commercial barrister for 15 years, and having worked in London, the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong, Emily Gillett took a career break in 2021 to diversify beyond the law. Spanning the protests of 2019, the COVID-19 outbreak and the introduction of the National Security Law, Emily’s time in Hong Kong helped to deepen her interest in geopolitics, international relations and diplomacy. Consequently, Emily's career break brought her to Oxford, where she is currently pursuing the MSt in Diplomatic Studies. In addition to her broad interest in contemporary China, Emily has a keen interest in the governance of AI. Her Master's dissertation will address British foreign policy, AI regulation and economic diplomacy.

Artie Lam is a Rhodes scholar from Hong Kong, currently pursuing an MSc in Migration Studies at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford. He holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (Oxon) and was previously an intern at the China Research Group, an independent think tank on UK's China policy in Westminster. He is interested in issues surrounding UK's ability to understand and engage with the PRC and the PRC's activities to engage with Chinese diasporas in Western democracies. His current research is focused on the activism of Hong Kong immigrants in the UK and its relation to the 2019 movement in Hong Kong. Apart from China policy, he is also enthusiastic about education and has led student initiatives to improve educational equality in Hong Kong.