- The NSC approved the China Framework in November 2018. It is intended to cover "the depth and breadth of UK-China engagement and the implications of China's growing geopolitical and global role".[1]
- The China SRO is responsible for developing the strategic framework (making sure it covers economic, security and influence interests) and getting it agreed by the NSC; for overseeing implementation of the strategic framework; and for co-ordinating issues relating to China across the Government. In 2019, the SRO explained the role:
I don't see it as my role as SRO to be responsible for every single decision across government on China, that would be too big a task and would avoid the ownership that we need across the whole system, but it acts as a brokering mechanism so that, if there is a specific point on which a department are disagreeing, the NSIG which I chair can act as the triage and be clear how we want to resolve those differences and make sure clear advice is being given through Ministers, to Ministers, either through a 'write-round' or ultimately through a ministerial discussion at the NSC.[2]
- In 2019, the Committee was told that the cross-government National Strategy Implementation Group (NSIG) was responsible for developing and implementing policy in order to deliver the China Framework. The NSIG was an attempt to improve cross-government co-ordination without centralising the response. It meets monthly and is attended by: ***.[3] ***. The SRO explained:
what we are really trying to do is not have a process which has Ministers agreeing a set of priorities and the system not following up, which was very much our feeling of what had been happening in the past, but to have a clear set of objectives, indicators which then the system is being driven to follow through.[4]
- The 2018 China Framework consists of six 'pillars':
- 'Trading Safely';
- ***;
- 'Countering Security Threats';
- ***;
- Digital and Technology'; and
- ***.
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