New Business Secretary Peter Kyle to reopen UK-China trade talks in Beijing

New Business Secretary Peter Kyle will travel to Beijing this week to hold the first trade talks with China since 2018.

Mr Kyle will use the relaunch of the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission (Jetco) to seek market access deals worth more than £1 billion over five years, according to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).

The trip forms part of the Government’s drive to revive UK-China trade ties and boost the British economy.

The former science and technology secretary, who was promoted in Sir Keir Starmer’s recent reshuffle, is expected to arrive in the Chinese capital on Wednesday.

He is largely taking on the schedule of his predecessor in the role, Jonathan Reynolds, now the chief whip.

Mr Kyle will be flanked by UK businesses as he pushes for greater access to the Chinese market in sectors including automotive, professional services and healthcare.

Jetco summits were suspended by Boris Johnson’s Conservative government after Beijing’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019.

Mr Kyle will “raise challenges” in the relationship with Beijing, including practices that undercut fair trade and human rights, according to DBT.

There are long-standing concerns about the treatment of Uighur Muslims, constraints on freedoms in Hong Kong and China’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Mr Kyle said: “Serious and strategic engagement with the world’s foremost economic players is what will deliver for working people and businesses across the UK.

“Restarting trade talks with China is an essential tool to put money into people’s pockets as part of the Government’s Plan For Change.

“British businesses will be an important part of my visit, helping open doors to greater commercial opportunities.

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“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.”

Ministers pointed to nearly £2 billion in exports to China backed by the Government in the last financial year, including the Premier League signing an exclusive three-season broadcasting agreement with China Mobile-owned streaming platform Migu, health science firm Cultech Group introducing a probiotic to the Chinese market, and Oxford University Press launching an exhibition at China’s national library.

The Business and Trade Secretary will also co-chair the first Industrial Co-operation Dialogue since 2022, focusing on industrial decarbonisation, the digital economy and standards in the automotive sector.

Ruby Osman, China expert at the Tony Blair Institute, said: “The Secretary of State’s trip follows a string of recent visits – Chancellor Rachel Reeves, former Foreign Secretary David Lammy – that could culminate in a prime ministerial one early next year.

“It’s a striking contrast with the last government, which managed just two ministerial visits to China in five years, yet calling this moment a ‘reset’ risks misunderstanding.”

In an op-ed, she wrote: “Look closer at the policy language and the continuity becomes clear – (Rishi) Sunak’s framework of ‘protect, align, engage’ has become Starmer’s ‘compete, challenge and co-operate’. Both get at the same simple point: China is too big and complex for a one-size-fits-all strategy…

“Britain’s engagement with China does not need fundamental reinvention, it needs continuity. Only consistency built on expertise and capacity will deliver progress – not just this week, but for decades to come.”