The embassy's Economic & Trade Policy section is responsible for reporting, and engaging with the Chinese authorities, on the following issues:

• Economic, trade and structural reform policies.
• Financial sector policy and regulation.
• Inward and outward investment policies, and sovereign wealth funds.
• The international trading system and resisting protectionism.
• Relations with the G20, IMF, WTO and OECD.
• Economic and trade aspects of China's relations with the EU, US and Japan.
• The business environment and cross-sector market access issues including IPR, competition policy and taxation.
• The economics of climate change.

The section is responsible for coordinating the annual meetings of the UK-China Economic & Financial Dialogue, and contributes to preparations for meetings of the UK-China Joint Economic & Trade Committee. It also programmes bilateral cooperation projects on economic governance supported by the Strategic Programme Fund. The section works closely with colleagues in the embassy's political, commercial, environment, and science & innovation sections, as well as staff in the UK's consulate-generals elsewhere in China.

The G20 and the economic crisis

The UK chairs the G20 group of major economies in 2009. It hosted the London Summit on 2 April.

China-UK economic and financial dialogue

China's Premier Wen Jiabao and the UK's Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed at the China-UK Summit in January 2008 to establish a new high-level dialogue between the two countries on strategic economic issues.

Promoting free trade

The UK and China have a strong shared interest in open markets for trade and investment, in resisting protectionism, and in working for a successful conclusion of the Doha world trade talks.

UK-China collaboration in financial services

There has been an intensified programme of visits to Beijing by officials to discuss regulatory issues with their Chinese counterparts

China-UK cooperation on Intellectual Property

On 2 February 2009, the UK and China signed two ground-breaking Intellectual Property agreements as part of UK-China Summit meeting in London.

Strategic Programme Fund

The SPF supports a number of projects in China to promote a low-carbon, high-growth, global economy.