Policy paper

UK–China memorandum of understanding, 2015

Published 27 February 2026

Memorandum of Understanding for a UK-China Clean Energy Partnership (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Partnership’) between The Department of Energy and Climate Change, of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and The National Energy Administration of The People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Participants’)

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1. Background

1.1 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) and the People’s Republic of China (China) have established close and productive collaboration in the field of clean energy. This collaboration covers academic, research, policy, industrial, and commercial partnerships. - Both countries are implementing policies to ensure energy affordability, security and sustainability.

1.2 Building on each country’s significant experience and expertise, both governments believe that this Partnership has the potential to reduce the costs of clean energy, while promoting opportunities for economic growth, development of cheaper technologies, greater use of clean energy and trade in green goods and services.

2. Objectives

2.1 The objective of the Partnership is to increase the pace and reduce the costs of the development and deployment of clean energy in the UK and China. The Partnership will bring together existing and new activities to provide strategic direction for UK-China clean energy collaboration in research and development, innovation, policy, academic, industrial and commercial areas. Both countries recognise that with the combination of the expertise, funding and market size in our respective countries, this Partnership should also have important benefits for bringing down the global costs of clean energy technologies.

3. Scope of the partnership

1. 3.1 It is the intention that the Partnership will include collaboration in the following four sectors:
   1. 3.1.1 Research, development and commercialisation. Through the Partnership, the UK and China will aim to align technological priorities, cooperation on clean energy research and development and use their combined abilities to bring clean energy technologies to maturity at lower cost. Collaboration under the Partnership may include, among others, the following areas:
      1. 3.1.1.1 Civil nuclear power technology
      2. 3.1.1.2 Electricity grid technology
      3. 3.1.1.3 Electricity storage
      4. 3.1.1.4 Offshore technologies
      5. 3.1.1.5 Solar PV
      6. 3.1.1.6 Air pollution
   2. 3.1.2 Policy making and implementation. Both nations have significant policy experience to share in order to better develop, use and reduce the costs of clean energy, and to increase the speed of the transition. This experience exists in respective government, regulatory, industrial, commercial non-governmental, research and academic organisations. Topics for policy research, lessons and information exchange may include, among others, the following areas:
      1. 3.1.2.1 Market reform and investment incentives, including power, gas (conventional and unconventional) and renewable energy markets
      2. 3.1.2.2 ‘Green’ public and private financing to embed clean energy and sustainability in domestic and third country finance and multilateral investment funds
      3. 3.1.2.3 Effective legislation and regulation
      4. 3.1.2.4 Public engagement
   3. 3.1.3 Industrial strategy. In order to stimulate clean energy cooperation, both countries will consider ways to develop collaboration between their industries in relevant fields. This will help partner industry, government and academia to focus on how best to reduce costs and promote new technologies.
   4. 3.1.4 Commercial partnerships. Both countries recognise that significant expertise exists in our respective businesses. The Partnership will aim to facilitate opportunities for British and Chinese companies to engage with each other in order to create mutual trade and investment opportunities in the green goods and services and clean energy sectors. Activities undertaken should be for the mutual benefit of both nations. The creation of economic growth and jobs in both markets is an important consideration. For instance, contracts won in the UK should utilise and build up the UK supply chain, with the same principle operating in China.

4. Implementation

4.1 The UK and China will provide strategic direction to and review cooperation under this Partnership in a special session of the annual UK-China Energy Dialogue.

4.2 Between these annual meetings the participants are encouraged to meet by mutual arrangement at a Ministerial and working level to deepen collaboration. The parties may also consider running projects to support development of the Partnership and the establishment of other mechanisms, for example joint centres of expertise or teams of independent experts, to implement and advise on the objectives set out in this Memorandum. Funding for such activities will be agreed between the parties on a case by case basis.

4.3 The participants may encourage the establishment of direct relationships between businesses of both countries in order to promote enhanced trade and investment opportunities, including joint participation in third markets.

5. Representation

5.1 The implementation of this MoU will be led on the UK side by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and on the Chinese side by the National Energy Administration (NEA).

5.2 Each Participant will provide a contact person to co-ordinate with all interested parties in their respective countries and with the contact person of the other Participant. After each meeting the contact persons will jointly decide an action plan in consultation with their principals and each other.

6. Resources

6.1 The Partnership will provide a framework to enable the UK and China to manage existing, and - subject to national decisions - future resources, devoted to work in this field.

6.2 Each side will be responsible for providing resources to support activity and projects under this Memorandum in accordance with their existing national procedures and funding arrangements. Where possible, both sides agree that activities linked to this Memorandum should be joint funded. This might include, but is not limited to, funding from central and local governments, businesses, research organisations, academic institutions etc.

7. Period of validity

7.1 This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will come into effect on the date of its signature and will continue in effect until terminated by either Participant giving six months written notice to the other through diplomatic channels. Unless jointly decided by the Participants, the termination of this Memorandum will not prejudice the completion of any activities/programmes which have been decided upon prior to the date of termination. This Memorandum may be amended by the mutual consent of the Participants, expressed in writing.

7.2 The foregoing record represents the Understandings reached between the Participants upon the matters referred to therein.

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Signed in London on 21 October 2015, in 2 original copies in English and Mandarin Chinese.

For the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP,
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

For the People’s Republic of China:

Nur Bekri,
Administrator,
National Energy Administration