UK citizens will be able to visit China visa-free
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signed a deal with Beijing which will relax visa rules for British citizens travelling to China, allowing them to visit without a visa.
Starmer signed a bevy of new agreements during a visit to Beijing today as part of a new partnership to provide clearer rules on trade, better market access, and more support for British businesses to grow their sales in China.
Through its new agreements with China, the UK government aims to grow partnerships across the public and private sectors in a range of industries, from finance and healthcare to education and manufacturing.
One of these new agreements will result in China relaxing visa rules for British citizens. Currently, British citizens visiting China require a visa while visitors from countries including France, Germany, and Australia do not.
Under the new agreement signed today, UK visitors will be able to stay in China visa-free for up to 30 days.
“As one of the world’s economic powerhouses, businesses have been crying out for ways to grow their footprints in China,” Starmer said.
“We’ll make it easier for them to do so – including via relaxed visa rules for short-term travel – supporting them to expand abroad, all while boosting growth and jobs at home.”
The UK government is also exploring a bilateral services agreement with China, which would establish clear and binding rules for UK firms doing business in the region.
The goal of these new partnerships is to provide clearer rules, better market access, and practical support to allow British businesses to take advantage of China’s increasing demand for their services.
The government said these agreements will help UK business find partners in China and create channels to help open up Chinese markets.
“There are huge growth opportunities for services, currently underweighted in our exports to China, from the legal and financial sectors to health and education,” said Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle.
“That’s why we are excited to be joined on this visit by top UK enterprises, as well as fast emerging ones and leading figures from across our cultural and service sectors, to reinforce cooperation, showcase our strengths, and build new business opportunities for Britain.”
