UK business chief hails Starmer for his 'pragmatic' China reset

As Britain and China hailed a reset in relations, a leading British business envoy praised UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer for pursuing a "pragmatic China strategy" which is beginning to pay off for businesses.

Chris Torrens, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, was part of Starmer's delegation at talks with President Xi Jinping at which the two leaders pledged greater cooperation on trade, investment and technology to the mutual benefit of both countries.

In the first visit by a British leader in eight years, Starmer discussed lower Chinese tariffs on whisky, and welcomed a $15 billion investment by the UK's AstraZeneca into China.

Starmer spent around three hours with Xi at a formal summit and a lunch, building on 18 months of good work by his government, according to Torrens.

He told CGTN: "It felt really positive, to be honest, and it's been a good few years since we've felt that kind of optimism and that positivity. 

"I think really the relatively new UK administration has done a really good job to build some momentum, put together a pragmatic China strategy, and it is beginning to pay off, certainly for businesses on the ground that the Chamber represents here."

Torrens said optimism among the UK business community with Chinese links has been growing steadily. "The sense that real action is taking place and real progress was really palpable in the room today and throughout all the meetings."

More than 40 years old, the British Chamber of Commerce in China helps British business succeed in China, with headquarters in Beijing and sister chambers in Southwest China and Guangdong.

Starmer, whose center-left Labour government has struggled to deliver the economic growth it promised, has made improving relations with the world's second-largest economy a priority.

With Western leaders reeling from the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump, Starmer became just the latest to head to China where he called for a "more sophisticated relationship" with greater market access, lower tariffs and investment deals.

Torrens says the UK government's new approach will bear fruit. "That sense of really senior support, that sense of momentum has created a much more positive mood across the business communities….there is a sense that there's real progress taking place. This isn't symbolism. This is about building stronger trading links. 

"I think it's positive for UK business going into China, but also for Chinese business going into the UK and seeing how UK service companies can help to make that happen." 

The British premier held up a plan by AstraZeneca to pioneer new medicines by investing heavily in its Chinese operations as proof of the benefits that could flow to both countries.

Growth in China

Torrens singled out financial services, healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry as having the biggest room for growth, but added that "we shouldn't forget the other areas of excellence that the UK is known for and where there is definitely going to be growth in China in the coming years."

"China is a vital player on the global stage, and it's vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship where we can identify opportunities to collaborate, but of course, also allow a meaningful dialogue on areas where we disagree," Starmer told Xi at the start of their meeting.

Ties between Britain and China had deteriorated for years under previous Conservative governments, when London curbed some Chinese investment over national security worries and expressed concern over Hong Kong.

Xi said China was ready to develop a long-term partnership with Britain following "twists and turns" in the relationship that did not serve the interests of either country.

"We can deliver a result that can withstand the test of history," Xi told Starmer, flanked by his top ministers, at their summit at the Great Hall of the People.

Starmer's visit comes amid Trump's on-off threats of trade tariffs and pledges to grab control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, which have rattled long-standing US allies such as Britain.

He follows in the footsteps of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who this month signed an economic deal with Beijing to tear down trade barriers, drawing tariff threats from Trump.