The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) Photo: VCG

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) will sign documents on trade and investment cooperation with the UK, aiming to create new growth points for China-UK economic and trade cooperation, a MOFCOM spokesperson said on Tuesday, in responding to economic and trade activity arrangement as well as potential achievements during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's upcoming visit to China, the first visit by a UK prime minister in eight years.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will pay an official visit to China from Wednesday through Saturday.

China and the UK are each other's important economic and trade partners. For a long time, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, bilateral economic and trade relations have maintained healthy and stable development, the MOFCOM spokesperson said.

In 2025, China-UK bilateral trade in goods reached $103.7 billion, with trade in services expected to exceed $30 billion and two-way investment stock reaching nearly $68 billion. The UK served as the guest of honor at the 25th China International Fair for Investment and Trade and the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo. Pragmatic cooperation between the two countries is full of vitality, according to the spokesperson.

Starmer will be accompanied by over 50 executives from major British companies in sectors like finance, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, culture and creative industry, which fully underlines the British side's earnest expectations for deepening bilateral economic and trade ties with China, the spokesperson said.

The Chinese side attaches great importance to economic and trade cooperation with the UK and is actively preparing with the UK for the economic and trade outcomes of this visit as well as the 2026 China-UK CEO Council meeting. Chinese and British enterprises are active to participate, with over 100 enterprise representatives having registered so far. During the visit, the MOFCOM plans to sign documents on trade and investment cooperation with the UK side, striving to create new growth points for China-UK economic and trade cooperation, the spokesperson said.

Against the backdrop of rising global trade protectionism, both China and the UK adhere to free trade and uphold multilateral trading system. Both sides will be committed to economic and trade cooperation featuring complementarity and mutual benefit. They will work to promote the coordinated development of trade in goods and services, advance two-way investment cooperation and  expand cooperation space in fields such as green energy, healthcare, creative industries, and smart manufacturing, the spokesperson said.

The MOFCOM is willing to work with the UK's economic and trade authorities to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen communication on economic and trade policies, create a fair, transparent and law-based business environment for the cooperation of enterprises from both sides, and promote China-UK economic and trade relations to new heights, the spokesperson stressed.