BEIJING, Jan 29 (Reuters) – China agreed on Thursday to relax rules to allow British citizens to travel partially visa-free during a visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Beijing, as part of a cooperation deal that London hopes will help expand its services sector.
Starmer said after talks with President Xi Jinping that British citizens would be allowed to visit China visa-free if the trip lasted for 30 days or less, which he considered a win for business.
Starmer said in a statement that businesses had been “urgently seeking ways to expand their footprint in China”, adding that visa-free travel would help facilitate the expansion of that market, thereby increasing domestic employment opportunities.
Injecting growth into Britain’s relatively sluggish economy is one of the main goals of his four-day trip.
As part of Britain’s so-called “New Partnership”, the two countries also agreed to conduct a feasibility study that could pave the way for a bilateral services agreement that would further help British companies doing business in China.
The statement said that the British economy is based on its large services industry, and this cooperation aims to strengthen connections in the fields of health care, financial and professional services, legal services, education and skills.
The UK exports £13 billion worth of services to China every year, and demand from China is growing.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Muvija M, writing by Sarah Young, editing by Catarina Demony and William James)
