Britons travelling to China will no longer need visas, Starmer announces after Xi meeting
Downing Street announced that it has reached an agreement for visa-free travel to China for British citizens during Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing.
Under the new agreement, which will be valid for both tourists and business travelers, British people will be able to travel to China without a visa for 30 days. It puts the UK on par with 50 other countries, including France and Germany.
Sir Keir said: “As one of the world’s economic powerhouses, businesses are looking to expand their footprint in China. We will make it easier for them to do this, including easing visa rules for short-term travel, supporting them to expand abroad, all while driving growth and employment at home.”
Sir Keir and the Chinese leadership also agreed to work on a trade agreement on services that would set out clear rules for British companies wanting to do business in China. And he left open the door to a future visit by President Xi to the UK, more than a decade after his last state visit.
The agreement on visas could be important in helping the UK’s economic growth by creating opportunities between the two countries. But the development comes amid concerns about Chinese espionage in the UK, with the recent collapse of the trial of two men, one an academic and the other a former parliamentary researcher, who allegedly spied for Beijing.
A number of political figures have pressed China to erect more barriers against attempts to steal Britain’s copyrights as well as human rights abuses in Hong Kong, where activist and British citizen Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned since 2020.
But the deal comes as Sir Keir pushes for investment in the UK and after Donald Trump imposed tariffs that are affecting Britain’s relationship with the US, its biggest trading partner.
Sir Keir also agreed a data-sharing agreement to help tackle the small boat crisis, where 60 per cent of boat engines are used by organized crime gangs from China.
Earlier, at the start of the meeting, Sir Keir told President Xi he wanted a “more sophisticated” relationship with China, while Mr Xi said relations between the two countries had experienced some “twists and turns” in recent years.
Sir Keir met Mr Xi at the Great Hall of the People on the first morning of his China trip; this was the first visit by a UK prime minister since 2018.
Later the prime minister said: “We have made really good progress on whiskey tariffs, visa-free travel to China and exchange of information and cooperation on irregular migration, with a particular focus on small boats and engine parts.
“It’s a very good, constructive meeting with real results, and it’s very much in our national interest.”
Asked about the possibility of a Chinese leader coming to the UK, Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to get in the way of talks, future leader visits. But I think we’ve been very clear that a constructive and more open relationship with China is in the UK’s national interest, and the Prime Minister will continue to pursue that.”
The meeting, which lasted around an hour and 20 minutes, was the second between the two men and represented the culmination of months of preparations for Sir Keir’s visit, during which he sought to reset relations between Britain and China.
In its own statement on the meeting, the Chinese government said it was willing to “actively consider” unilateral visa-free entry into the UK.
Downing Street’s statement said the two leaders “agreed that they will continue to enhance cooperation in areas of mutual interest, while maintaining a frank and open dialogue on areas of disagreement.”
“The Prime Minister has raised issues of concern to the UK,” No 10 added.
Sir Keir is understood to view meetings with Chinese leaders as vital for the UK as he seeks to highlight the practical benefits of engaging with Beijing.
To this end, he arrived with a delegation of 54 representatives from British business and cultural institutions seeking to deepen ties with the country.
