Tech West England Advocates has unveiled a 2026 international programme centred on its fourth UK tech mission to China’s Greater Bay Area, with stops in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong scheduled for 23-27 November. The not-for-profit network said the programme will also include a June UK Market Discovery Tour timed to London Tech Week.
The November mission carries added symbolic weight. It coincides with the 25th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Bristol and Guangzhou, and 20 years since the Birmingham-Guangzhou partnership began. TWEA said the 2026 edition will use that milestone to deepen trade links between West England and southern China’s Greater Bay Area, which it described as one of the world’s largest technology and manufacturing ecosystems.
For the first time, Guangzhou will join Shenzhen and Hong Kong as part of the mission route. Shenzhen is positioned in the programme as a core technology and manufacturing centre, while Hong Kong is framed as the region’s financial gateway. TWEA said the wider Greater Bay Area combines a population of more than 86 million people with GDP of more than US$1.9tn.
The group is also broadening its activity in the other direction. Its UK Market Discovery Tour in June 2026, led by Angela Tang, is designed to bring a delegation of Chinese technology companies to the UK during London Tech Week. The tour will include visits to London, Bristol, and Birmingham, with a focus on investors, regional clusters, and sector strengths spanning aerospace, silicon, green technology, digital, and manufacturing.
TWEA said the University of the West of England, Bristol has joined as a key partner for the mission, with additional UK and global technology partners due to be announced. The programme is also being supported by the Department for Business and Trade, the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, the British Chamber of Commerce South China, and the Institute of Directors.
Richard Lowe, Founder of Tech West England Advocates and mission organiser, said: “2026 is a landmark year. Celebrating 25 years of the Bristol-Guangzhou link while welcoming UWE Bristol as a partner allows us to scale our impact significantly. The programme builds on the momentum of recent high-level discussions between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Xi Jinping. With bilateral trade exceeding £100bn annually and new visa-free access opening windows for UK founders, the timing for expansion has never been more optimal. This mission provides senior-level access, meaningful introductions, and real commercial opportunity.
“By running bilateral missions from taking UK founders to China in November to bringing Chinese innovators to London, Bristol, and Birmingham in June, we are truly cementing a two-way bridge for global tech growth.”
Russ Shaw, CBE, founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, also backed the programme, describing founder-to-founder connections between UK regional clusters and southern China as an important route for the exchange of ideas, capital, and talent.
Further details of the November programme are available on TWEA’s mission page.
