China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) hosts a roundtable meeting with British enterprises in Beijing on January 22, 2026. Photo: MOFCOM

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) held a roundtable for British enterprises in Beijing on Thursday, during which the participating businesses interacted with the corresponding Chinese government officials, according to the MOFCOM on Friday.

Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative, chaired the meeting. The meeting was attended by British trade commissioner for China Lewis Neal, as well as representatives from the China-Britain Business Council, Swire Group, HSBC, InterContinental Hotels Group, and about 30 British-funded companies and industry associations.

Relevant departments of the MOFCOM, the General Administration of Customs, and the National Financial Regulatory Administration also participated and responded on site to issues and requests raised by companies.

Speaking at Thursday's meeting, Ling said that in recent years, China-UK economic and trade cooperation has grown steadily, demonstrating both resilience and vitality. With complementary industrial strengths, the two sides should continue to deepen trade and investment cooperation, uphold win-win cooperation, and give full play to the role of economic and trade ties as a stabilizer and driving force for China-UK relations, while jointly safeguarding a fair and reasonable international economic and trade order.

Ling noted that China's economy has made steady progress and is moving toward higher quality and innovation, providing broad development opportunities for foreign-funded enterprises.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), China will focus on expanding opening-up in the services sector, said Ling, noting that as the UK is a major power in services trade, British enterprises are welcome to seize opportunities arising from China's independent opening-up of the services sector and expand investment in areas such as consumption, green transition, and technological innovation. China will work with the UK to advance cooperation in services and cultivate new growth drivers for bilateral economic and trade relations, said the official.

Neal said that economic and trade relations are of great importance to UK-China relations, and that the UK's modern industrial strategy aligns well with China's proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan, creating favorable conditions for expanding cooperation, according to the MOFCOM.

Also at the meeting, representatives of British enterprises said that the Chinese market has enormous potential and that the business environment continues to improve. The 15th Five-Year Plan has further strengthened their confidence in long-term investment and operations in China and will make positive contributions to the development of UK-China economic and trade relations, said business representatives.

Recently, foreign media have reported on a potential visit to China by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In response to a Reuters reporter's inquiry about whether China can confirm that UK Prime Minister will visit China next week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that amid a turbulent international situation, it is in the interests of both countries and the world for China and the UK, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, to strengthen exchanges and cooperation. "As for the specific visit you mentioned, we will release relevant information in due course," Guo said.

The Chinese market holds particular significance for the UK. Since Brexit, the UK has needed broader market channels to sustain growth, while its role as a global financial center also requires deeper cooperation with major economies such as China to further strengthen its position, Li Yong, an executive council member of the China Society for WTO Studies, told the Global Times on Friday.

Amid rising protectionism and unilateralism, and against the backdrop of weak economic momentum in Europe, UK enterprises need stable, sizable and highly predictable cooperation partners, Li said, noting that China is an irreplaceable market given its scale, stability, predictable policy environment and opening-up opportunities.

At the same time, the two sides show strong complementarity in competitive industries. China can support the UK's strength sectors such as financial services, while China's own competitive industries, including new energy, can help advance the UK's green transition, the expert said.

In a recent interview with the Global Times, Tom Simpson, managing director, China Operations and China chief representative of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), said that British business has been investing in China for a long time, and the commitment by British business to investing here remains strong, Simpson said, noting that "when you look at the long-term outlook, there is generally a greater level of optimism."