The UK-China tech relationship faces uncertainty as the global economic outlook consistently generates negative connotations. The UK was said to be planning to reassess some of its technology investment policies with China and that such assessment may not materialize sooner. The result of the reassessment rendered investors hanging and awaiting greater clarify as policies for economic recovery are imposed in the respective countries.
The Chinese government received several praises on how it contained the pandemic and for creating an adequate initial response to its adverse effects on the country's economy. It also used technology in combating the virus that may alter affect its tech relationships with the UK after the newly popularized Zoom showed security issues on top of the scrutiny received by Chinese tech firm Huawei.
According to the China Briefing, the United Kingdom may draw strategies imposed by China within its country to manage the pandemic locally as well. These include policies such as strict enforcement of social distancing, rapid testing, and hearing short-term economic challenges caused by the shut down of many establishments. The country is also considering the observance of inter-country exchange for faster recovery.
The report suggested that UK authorities may also experiment with innovative high-tech solutions adapted by China in combating the adverse effects of the pandemic to the economy. The suggestion highlighted the use of a complementary tool to assist on-the-ground measures implemented by China during the first quarter of the year.
The governance style in China, however, was said to be unique from that of the UK. Therefore, their strategies were deemed by the report as not highly sustainable under the UK context.
Global supply chain disruptions were rampant during the pandemic since most of the world's manufacturing companies relied on China to supply goods and services for business operations. The China-US trade deal and the UK's exit from the European Union that occurred before the pandemic also contributed to the disruptions. Hence, the report claimed that global supply chains were already struggling after factory shutdowns in China and other states around the globe.
The initial shutdowns imposed in China also led tech companies to outsource suppliers abroad to compensate for lower production levels. Google and Apple were among the companies that accelerated their efforts in relocating parts of their production from China to other countries in Southeast Asia.
Post-pandemic, the report claimed that the pandemic and how China reacted to the crisis might encourage tech businesses in the UK to diversify their production by observing the "China plus one" strategies. The same method is currently being considered by India Inc. It was mentioned that the dependence of many firms in China might develop a higher risk to the UK's relationship with the country directly or as a result of tensions between China and the US.
