Keir Starmer Secures Visa-free Access to China in Services Partnership
By CAROLINE HUG
Starmer, on a trip to China, says businesses are ‘crying out for ways to grow their footprints’ in the country.
The U.K. and China have announced a new services partnership to support British businesses operating in China, including through visa-free travel for short stays.
The partnership will see Beijing relax its visa rules for British citizens, adding the U.K. to its visa-free list of countries. This will enable visits of up to 30 days for business and tourism without the need for a visa. The timings of the visa change have not yet been set out.
The services partnership focuses on better collaboration for businesses in healthcare, financial and professional services, legal services, education and skills — areas where British firms often face regulatory or administrative hurdles.
Britain and China have also agreed to conduct a “feasibility study” to explore whether to enter negotiations towards a bilateral services agreement. If it proceeds, this would establish clear and legally binding rules for U.K. firms doing business in China.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “As one of the world’s economic powerhouses, businesses have been crying out for ways to grow their footprints in China.
“We’ll make it easier for them to do so – including via relaxed visa rules for short-term travel — supporting them to expand abroad, all while boosting growth and jobs at home.”
Downing Street said China has also agreed to halve tariffs on Scotch whisky — restoring the rate to where it was a year ago.
The U.K. and China also signed pacts covering co-operation on conformity assessments for exports from the U.K. to China, food safety, animal, and plant quarantine health and the work the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission.
The two sides aren’t planning to publish the full texts of the pacts.
