Hello:
According to the current patent law, this situation may exist, provided that: when the Chinese apply in China, the British patent rights in the UK have already been applied for, but Not yet public.
At this time, since the patent right has not been disclosed, others should not know it, so the Chinese application is novel. At the same time, since the British only applied for a patent in the UK and did not apply for a patent in China, the Chinese application did not destroy the British's prior rights, and the application was valid at this time.
However, if the British patent has been published, it constitutes the prior art of the patent. Regardless of whether the British patent is still protected, the Chinese application is no longer novel and can no longer be obtained. Patented.
Hope the answer is helpful to you.