Britain and China are preparing to revive a “golden era” of business dialogue when Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Beijing next week, according to sources familiar with the initiative. Top executives from both countries are expected to participate in a revamped UK-China CEO Council.
British companies likely to join include AstraZeneca, BP, HSBC, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Schroders, and Standard Chartered. On the Chinese side, participants are expected from Bank of China, China Construction Bank, China Mobile, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Rail and Rolling Stock Corporation, China National Pharmaceutical Group, and BYD.
The CEO Council was originally launched in 2018 by then-Prime Minister Theresa May and Premier Li Keqiang during a period both sides described as a “golden era” for UK-China relations. Negotiations to revive the council have been ongoing, with Starmer’s visit closely linked to China’s recent approval to build its largest embassy in London.
Officials are still finalising details, including the council’s official English name, with the UK reluctant to include “CEO” while the Chinese side favors retaining the original translation used in 2018. Sources cautioned that external events, including US President Donald Trump’s Greenland ambitions, could affect the visit.
Starmer’s planned trip would be the first by a British leader since 2018 and aims to reset relations with China after ties cooled under successive Conservative governments. Trade and investment links had soured over the UK’s Huawei 5G ban in 2020 and the 2022 buyout of China General Nuclear Power’s stake in a nuclear project. CGN and Huawei are unlikely to join the new council due to political sensitivities.
At its first meeting in 2018, China emphasized the council’s goal to “fast-track two-way investment and expand bilateral trade in a healthier, more balanced direction.” The revived council is expected to continue pursuing that objective.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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