I think the 'first chinese' thing is about branding and perception.
Yes the MGs are chinese, but there are still people who dont know that. And they are using an established uk brand.
One of the issues for the chinese manufacturers is breaking into the market with a brand new brand

.
There is no history, no image and no awareness of Ora/ Xpeng/etc. which means that getting established will be expensive for them. Building a network and getting buy in from dealerships isnt easy - they need a lot of people to invest a lot of time, energy and £. and they need to make it worthwhile for those dealers.
Especially in the uk (RHD) which people seem to forget when talking about prices in china vs uk. There can be significant costs to LHD/RHD conversion. I've no idea about the costs of installing CCS as opposed to the chinese charging ststem. Are there licencing costs? Hardware/software costs similar or v.different?
I guess they have to choose between starting with top end halo models as Tesla did or with budget offerings as MG.
I really like the BYD and Xpeng offerings. And the ORA seems ok - not that I've actually seen one but the styling is a vast improvement on MG to my eyes. But there are a lot of evs coming in the next couple of years and pricing should be coming down.
tbh
@MilesperkWh if I were chorley I'd be more interested in a brand with more of a line up - like byd or xpeng. With only a single model car I'd see ora as similar to smart/mini. That may work for you as a stand alone brand (no erosion of existing franchises?).