(Yicai) Sept. 26 -- Yicai Global Center hosted the Coffee and Tea Time networking event in London to promote business culture exchange between China and the United Kingdom at the second stop of its 2025 Global Business Civilization Journey.

The event, organized with the help of UK's MIE Consultants and held on Sept. 23, saw more than 40 guests from various local business sectors and the Chinese mainstream media. Leading teaching company Stagecoach Performing Arts, Labubu maker Pop Mart International Group, specialist law firm Duan & Duan, forex and derivatives brokers, the China-Britain Artificial Intelligence Association, and partnership management platform impact.Com were among the notable participants.

The over 20 UK guests included some from the finance, consumer goods, tech, legal, and entertainment industries. High-end consumer and trending brands, including George Pragnell, luxury department store Harrods, Bubble Ci-Tea, and Cambridge Satchel, and startups with strong demand for the Chinese market, such as biotech firm BioRecode, took part.

The Coffee and Tea Time event serves as an enrichment and extension of the Global Business Civilization Journey activities, said Sun Ji, director of Yicai. "The goal is to promote cross-cultural exchanges between different global regions through sharing and highlighting cutting-edge global business cases, fostering business cooperation based on mutual trust, and advancing global business civilization."

Stories of China's economic transformation, exemplified by Shanghai, were shared at the event, while guests experienced the distinctive styles formed by Eastern and Western business civilizations in recent years and their mutual influence.

Bubble Ci-Tea Chief Executive Suneet Sachdeva shared his experiences with China's consumer industry, Harrods introduced their Harrods Tea Room at Cha Mansion in Shanghai's mixed-use commercial property HKRI Taikoo Hui, George Pragnell leveraged the cultural recognition of Shakespeare's birthplace to establish new connections with numerous Chinese tourists, while Stagecoach said it has operated projects in Beijing for two years and looks forward to finding new opportunities in Shanghai.

MIE and Yicai also signed an agreement to leverage the former's leading brand consulting experience in Europe to help Chinese companies integrate more rapidly into local markets while working closely with Yicai Global Center to familiarize more UK brands with the Chinese market and facilitate cooperation.

"In my years of cross-cultural consulting work, I have seen cultural differences, but these are neither good nor bad," said Lin Ying, CEO of MIE. "As long as we respect each other and communicate deeply, we can definitely find opportunities for cooperation.

The enormous potential of the Chinese market and the vitality and innovation demonstrated by Chinese companies are undeniable," Lin noted. "In uncertain times, UK brands, like Chinese brands, are all exploring new directions."

Editor: Martin Kadiev