The British leader\u2019s trip has so far yielded tariff cuts and agreements on trade and investment.<\/b>
\nChina and the United Kingdom are expected to sign more business deals as the British delegation, which comprises 54 companies, heads to Shanghai from Beijing as part of Keir Starmer\u2019s visit, the first by a UK prime minister since 2018.
The UK delegation will attend a reception in Shanghai on Friday evening, according to Peter Burnett, chief executive of the China-Britain Business Council. A business forum will be held, followed by lunch on Saturday before the group departs the country.
\u201cI think we signed some more deals this morning, including a very exciting MOU [memorandum of understanding] between the China-Britain Business Council and Suzhou of Jiangsu province, to create an innovation hub,\u201d he said, noting that start-ups looking to expand in China would be given a warm welcome in the city.
The visit had been seen as a critical test of Starmer\u2019s push for a pragmatic \u201creset\u201d, particularly as Britain seeks to balance an increasingly coercive Washington under US President Donald Trump and a Beijing it has long labelled a \u201cnational security threat\u201d.
Describing the trip as \u201ca huge relief\u201d, Burnett said there had been \u201ca great sense of optimism\u201d because it was the first trip by a UK prime minister to China in years.
\u201cIt\u2019s been kind of almost irresponsible that there hasn\u2019t been outreach from a prime minister for eight years, so we\u2019re really pleased that that is happening,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n