The Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG

China's Ministry of Commerce Wang Wentao and British Secretary of State for Business and Trade Peter Kyle jointly signed four economic and trade outcome documents on Thursday, making concerted efforts in the three areas of goods trade, services trade, and the building of economic and trade mechanism, in order to further deepen China-UK economic and trade relations, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Friday. 

According to the spokesperson, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on launching cooperation on "Export to China" between China and the UK. 

The MOFCOM, by establishing the new brand "Big Market for All: Export to China," shares the new opportunities of China's vast market with the world, demonstrating the country's firm commitment to high-level opening-up. 

Through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the UK has become the first country to sign such a memorandum with China since the launch of the series of activities. China has invited the UK to serve as one of the annual theme countries for the event, the spokesperson said. 

Both sides will establish a cooperation mechanism for "Export to China," jointly explore the export potential of high-quality UK goods and services to China, strengthen information sharing, conduct promotion activities, improve trade facilitation, and work together to promote the healthy development of China-UK trade, the spokesperson added.

The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on launching the joint feasibility study for the China-UK services trade agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding on establishing a bilateral services partnership, the MOFCOM spokesperson said.

The UK is the world's second-largest exporter of services. In recent years, China and the UK have actively advanced cooperation in the services trade sector and achieved positive results. Through the signing of two documents, China and the UK will initiate a joint feasibility study on negotiating a services trade agreement. At the same time, they will fully leverage the complementarities and respective strengths in the services sector to further deepen cooperation in areas such as creative industries, professional services, financial services, and healthcare/medical services, the spokesperson said.

In the current international environment marked by intertwined changes and turbulence, this represents a concrete action by both countries in jointly supporting free trade, the spokesperson noted.

In addition, China and UK also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening the work of the China-UK Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO). The JETCO is an important mechanism for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, with several specialized working groups under its framework, according to the MOFCOM. 

The most recent meeting was held in Beijing in September 2025. Through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, both sides aim to consolidate JETCO's role as a key platform for economic and trade policy dialogue, as well as for promoting trade and investment between China and the UK. The memorandum seeks to enhance interactions between JETCO and the China-UK Entrepreneurs Committee, strengthen government-to-business dialogue between the two countries, facilitate the resolution of concerns and demands raised by enterprises on both sides, and contribute to deepening China-UK economic and trade relations, according to the spokesperson.

Global Times