The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has lobbied the British establishment to make it more favorable to Chinese interests, GMF China expert Mareike Ohlberg says in her new book “Hidden Hand.” In an interview with LBC, Ohlberg explained the role of commercial groups in the state-sponsored Chinese lobbying in the United Kingdom.

One organization which has been linked to lobbying Chinese interests in Britain is the ‘48 Group.’ The commercial group is said to have charmed the British establishment to make it more sensitive to CCP interests. Ohlberg’s research on the ’48 Group’ was largely based on publicly available material. “They have their own website up,” Ohlberg said.

According to Ohlberg, the ’48 Group’ is not the only example of recent Sino-British lobbying. “There are several business networks with various degrees of ties,” she said.

The networks between Britain’s elites and the CCP leadership that these organizations promote have a tangible impact on public discourse in the United Kingdom. “The ‘golden era’ narrative of Sino-British relations was never challenged until this year. It was so entrenched among almost everybody,” Ohlberg argued. For her, this is “quite amazing for a country of the stature of Britain.”