UK likely to pursue China FTA

Sooner or later, the United Kingdom, if it wants to remain competitive, will follow in Switzerland and Norway's footsteps to enter into free trade agreement talks with China after withdrawing from the European Union, experts said.

Wealthy non-EU member Switzerland signed a free trade agreement with China in 2014, and Norway is now in talks with China to reach a bilateral free trade deal.

Ma Yu, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said the UK was Chinese companies' favorite European investment destination and has strong business and diplomatic ties with China.

"Under such circumstances, it shouldn't take long to complete China-UK free trade agreement talks if both sides want it to be done within a short period," said Ma.

"However, because the UK used to have a strong voice in Brussels, its withdrawal from the EU will raise China's time and resource costs in negotiating the China-EU free trade agreement and a comprehensive EU-China investment agreement with the EU without the UK," said He Wenwei, director of the research center for European and American studies at the China Association of International Trade in Beijing.

Trade of goods between China and the European Union amounted to $564.85 billion in 2015, while trade between China and the UK reached $78.54 billion, according to the General Administration of Customs.