On Sunday 23 March 2025, Shield Works Precision Manufacturing welcomed one of the most senior UK government delegations we have ever hosted at our Zhuhai facility. It was the kind of visit that makes you stop and reflect on just how far this business, and the UK-China relationship, has come.

The delegation arrived as the final stop of a nine-day diplomatic and trade mission across China, focused on advancing collaboration in clean energy, sustainability, and industrial innovation. That Shield Works was chosen as the concluding destination felt significant. It was a validation not just of what we have built, but of the direction we are heading.

Who Came

The cross-departmental UK delegation included senior officials from six of the most important departments in the British Government:

• Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ)
• Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
• His Majesty’s Treasury (HMT)
• Cabinet Office (CO)
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
• Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT)

Six departments. One factory in Zhuhai. That tells you something about how seriously the UK Government is now taking the intersection of manufacturing, clean energy, and the China relationship.

What They Saw

Alongside CEO Mark Jacobs and our senior leadership team, I had the privilege of hosting the delegation on a full tour of Shield Works’ precision manufacturing facility, walking them through our commitment to IP protection, rigorous quality control, and our plans for carbon-neutral OEM manufacturing. That last point generated real interest.

Shield Works is on a clear path to becoming one of the first carbon-neutral OEM manufacturers operating in China. That is not a marketing line, it is a genuine strategic commitment, and one that is increasingly resonating with both our clients and, as this visit showed, with the UK Government itself.

As I said to the delegation on the day: “We believe the future of manufacturing is sustainable, secure, and collaborative, and this visit reflects growing recognition of that shared vision between the UK and China.”

How It Ended

The visit concluded with an informal exchange of ideas before the delegation departed for Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. There is something fitting about that image, a British delegation crossing one of the most remarkable pieces of infrastructure in the world, leaving a British-owned factory in China, on their way to one of Britain’s most enduring connections to Asia.

Why This Matters

I have spent twenty years making the case, sometimes quietly, sometimes loudly, that British business in China can be done with integrity, ambition, and purpose. Visits like this one are evidence that the argument is being heard at the very highest levels of government.

Clean energy, sustainable manufacturing, and the UK-China trade relationship are not separate conversations. They are the same conversation. And Shield Works is proud to be at the centre of it.

🔗 Shield Works Precision Manufacturing 🔗 C2W Group 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn

Mark Clayton FCMA CGMA CPA KOR — Group CFO, C2W Group | Co-Founder, Shield Works Precision Manufacturing | Chairman, British Chamber of Commerce South China