The UK will hold its first formal trade talks with China in seven years this week, with business and trade secretary Peter Kyle in Beijing to co-chair the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) and the first Industrial Cooperation Dialogue since 2022.
The government said the engagement aims to secure more than £1bn in market-access wins over five years across priority sectors, including professional services, automotive and healthcare.
It follows what the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) describes as nearly £2bn of “export wins” to China supported over the last financial year, citing successes in creative industries, retail and healthcare.
“Serious and strategic engagement with the world’s foremost economic players is what will deliver for working people and businesses across the UK,” said Kyle.
“Restarting trade talks with China is an essential tool to put money into people’s pockets… More discussions and direct engagement with China will ensure trade between us can flourish, strengthen our national security, and create space to raise concerns constructively where needed.”
The DBT said the talks will press for greater access for UK companies to the Chinese market while also raising challenges in the bilateral relationship, including human rights and “level playing field” issues.
The government stressed it would “cooperate where we can and challenge where we must”, with no compromise on national security.
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The agenda includes discussion of standards to make it easier for UK automotive manufacturers – who directly employ around 133,000 workers – to enter the Chinese market.
The Industrial Cooperation Dialogue will also cover industrial decarbonisation and the digital economy.
Beyond automotive, the DBT flagged efforts to resolve agri-food market barriers and to advance mutual recognition for UK technical and vocational education and training providers.
Recent China-related wins highlighted by DBT span multiple sectors. Examples include the Premier League’s exclusive three-season digital broadcasting agreement with China Mobile-owned Migu from 2025–26; Cultech Group’s partnership with China Resources to introduce its ProVen probiotic range; and maritime technology firm Silverstream Technologies’ air-lubrication deployments on vessels built at Chinese shipyards.
The government has framed the relaunch of talks as part of a pragmatic reset with the world’s second-largest economy, pointing to the growth potential of China’s expanding middle-class market and forecasts that China could contribute 23% of global growth between 2023 and 2050.
The JETCO meeting will seek to convert that opportunity into specific measures to ease exporting for UK businesses and to broaden cooperation in areas of shared interest, while maintaining scope to raise areas of concern.
