The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answers questions from reporters on the situation of China UK economic and trade cooperation

A reporter asked: British Prime Minister Stamer will pay an official visit to China from January 28th to 31st, which will be the first visit of a British Prime Minister to China in 8 years. May I ask what activities and achievements both sides will have in the economic and trade field at that time? How to evaluate the current development status and future cooperation prospects of China UK economic and trade relations?

Answer: China and the UK are important economic and trade partners to each other. For a long time, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of both countries, the economic and trade relations between China and the UK have maintained healthy and stable development. By 2025, the bilateral trade volume of goods between China and the UK is expected to reach 103.7 billion US dollars, the trade volume of services is expected to exceed 30 billion US dollars, and the stock of two-way investment is nearly 68 billion US dollars. The UK served as the guest of honor at the 25th China International Fair for Trade and Investment (CIFIT) and the 5th China International Consumer Goods Fair (WCIF), demonstrating the dynamic and pragmatic cooperation between China and the UK.

It is reported that Prime Minister Stamer will lead more than 50 executives and representatives from major British companies and institutions to follow up, covering areas where the UK has advantages such as finance, medicine, manufacturing, culture, and creativity, fully reflecting the UK's keen expectations for deepening bilateral economic and trade relations. The Chinese side attaches great importance to economic and trade cooperation with the UK, and is actively preparing for the economic and trade achievements of this visit, as well as the 2026 China UK Business Council meeting. Chinese and British companies actively participated in the conference, and currently more than 100 company representatives have registered to attend. During the visit, the Ministry of Commerce plans to sign outcome documents on trade and investment cooperation with the UK, striving to create a new growth point for China UK economic and trade cooperation.

Currently, global trade protectionism is intensifying, and both China and the UK adhere to free trade and maintain the multilateral trading system. Both sides will be committed to complementary advantages and mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation, promoting coordinated development of goods and services trade, two-way investment cooperation, and continuously expanding cooperation space in fields such as green energy, healthcare, creative industries, and intelligent manufacturing. The Ministry of Commerce is willing to work with the UK's economic and trade authorities to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen communication on economic and trade policies, create a fair, transparent, and rule of law business environment for cooperation between enterprises of both sides, and promote the continuous advancement of China UK economic and trade relations to a new level.