China Observatory launch reception

The Council on Geostrategy is launching the China Observatory which seeks to watch, monitor and evaluate the evolution, behaviour and actions of the Chinese Communist Party. Together with experts and legislators, the Observatory aims to guide HM Government in the formulation of a coherent ‘China policy’ through research-led, non-partisan analysis from a British vantage point.

With welcoming remarks from Isabel Hilton OBE, Member, China Observatory Advisory Council, Council on Geostrategy; Alicia Kearns MP, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs; and The Rt. Hon. the Lord Spellar, Minister of State for the Armed Forces (1999-2001); this invitation-only launch event will be dedicated for 80 guests including parliamentarians, experts, diplomats, and senior Whitehall officials.

Welcoming remarks

Isabel Hilton OBE

Member, China Observatory Advisory Council, Council on Geostrategy

Isabel Hilton OBE was a founder of the China Dialogue Trust in 2006 where she now works as a Senior Advisor. Isabel studied Chinese in Edinburgh and China before embarking on an extensive career in broadcast and print journalism. She is a Visiting Professor at the Lau Institute, King’s College London, serves as a Senior Advisor to the China Council, and holds two honorary doctorates.

Alicia Kearns MP

Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs

Alicia Kearns MP has been the Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton since 2019. Alicia was the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee from October 2022 until May 2024. Prior to being an MP, she worked in counter-terrorism at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then as an independent consultant across the Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.

The Rt. Hon. the Lord Spellar

Minister of State for the Armed Forces (1999-2001)

The Rt. Hon. the Lord Spellar was Member of Parliament for Warley (1992-2024). He was Vice Chair of the Defence Select Committee from 2020 to 2024, having previously been a member from 2015 to 2019. He was the Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2010 to 2015. Before that, he was appointed as the Minister for Northern Ireland from 2003 to 2005 and the Minister for Armed Forces from 1999 to 2001.