China strives to create new growth drivers for economic, trade cooperation with Britain: commerce ministry

BEIJING - China plans to sign trade and investment cooperation agreements with Britain during Prime Minister Keir Starmer's upcoming visit to the country, the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

These outcome documents will help create new growth drivers for bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the ministry noted in a statement.

"China attaches great importance to economic and trade cooperation with Britain and is actively working with Britain to prepare for the economic and trade cooperation outcomes resulting from the visit, as well as a meeting of Chinese and British entrepreneurs," the statement said.

Chinese and British companies have shown keen interests in the meeting, and more than 100 of them have registered to attend, the ministry added.

At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the British prime minister will pay an official visit to China from Jan 28 to 31, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced earlier Tuesday.

It is understood that during the visit, Starmer will lead a delegation comprising senior executives from over 50 major British firms and representatives of British institutions. They represent Britain's leading sectors that span finance, medicine, manufacturing, culture and creativity, which has fully showcased the UK's earnest expectations for deepening economic and trade relations with China, according to the ministry.

China-UK economic and trade relations have for long maintained healthy and stable development under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries. In 2025, bilateral trade value of goods reached $103.7 billion, with bilateral trade in services expected to exceed $30 billion. Meanwhile, two-way investment stock is close to $68 billion, data from the ministry revealed.

The ministry's statement also said that as global trade protectionism intensifies, both China and Britain adhere to free trade and safeguard the multilateral trading system, and the two sides will commit to economic and trade cooperation featured by complementary advantages and mutual benefits, promote the coordinated development of trade in goods and services, carry out two-way investment cooperation, and broaden cooperation in sectors such as green energy, medical and healthcare, creative industries and intelligent manufacturing.

"The Ministry of Commerce is willing to work with our UK counterpart to jointly implement the important consensuses reached by the leaders of our two countries, strengthen communication on economic and trade policies, create a fair, transparent and law-based business environment for cooperation between enterprises of both sides, and promote the continuous advancement of China-UK economic and trade relations to new heights," the statement read.