MOFCOM spokesperson He Yadong Photo: Tao Mingyang/GT

Chinese and UK companies held targeted talks across multiple sectors, including automobiles, energy and chemicals, instrumentation, sports events and life sciences, during a recent event related to the "Export to China" initiative in the UK, a Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) spokesperson said on Thursday.

The comments came after the UK session of the "Export to China" initiative, jointly hosted by MOFCOM and the UK Department for Business and Trade, was held in London on Wednesday, with government and business representatives from both countries and companies in attendance.

The UK is the first country to sign a memorandum of understanding with China on cooperation under the "Export to China" initiative, and is one of five theme countries this year, MOFCOM spokesperson He Yadong said at a press briefing. 

"The event represents a concrete step in implementing the important economic and trade consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and has received strong support and active response from both governments and the business communities," He said.

Around 40 Chinese companies and more than 100 UK companies participated the event, the spokesperson noted.

"Both sides held targeted matchmaking sessions and business negotiations covering a wide range of sectors, including automobiles, energy and chemicals, instrumentation, sports events and life sciences," He added.

The spokesperson said that the event was well received by the UK side. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the UK's newly launched industrial strategy is closely aligned with China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), creating new opportunities for cooperation.

Sebastian Wood, chair of the China-Britain Business Council, said it is unprecedented globally for a Chinese minister to visit a country specifically to promote that country's exports to China. 

This also represents a concrete step by China to expand imports from the UK, demonstrating its commitment to increasing imports of quality products from around the world, the spokesperson said.

Benefiting from lower import tariffs in China, exports of whisky from Diageo to China have continued to grow. AstraZeneca has expanded investment in China, reflecting confidence in the country's innovation capacity and manufacturing strength. Glasgow Airport has also strengthened cooperation with Chinese aviation companies, supporting increased exports of UK competitive products to China, according to MOFCOM.

"These developments fully demonstrate the vast potential and promising prospects of China-UK cooperation," said the MOFCOM spokesperson.

The UK remains an important services trade partner for China. China-UK services trade exceeded $30 billion in 2025, with significant room for further growth, according to the spokesperson.

He noted that China is willing to work with the UK to accelerate the joint feasibility study on a China-UK services trade agreement, creating favorable conditions to further upgrade cooperation in services trade between the two countries.

Global Times