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The UK and China will seek to re-establish a business dialogue of top executives during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s widely-expected visit to Beijing, Reuters reported Wednesday. The revival of the ‘UK-China CEO Council’ will come as part of the government’s attempts to pursue a warmer relationship with Beijing, with ministers having given the go-ahead to a vast new Chinese embassy in London. The business forum was first created in 2018 during the ‘golden era’ of ties pursued by then-Tory prime minister Theresa May. British firms including AstraZeneca PLC, BP PLC, HSBC, Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce, Schroders PLC and Standard Chartered PLC are set to take part, Reuters reported, citing three sources familiar with the initiative. Chinese companies that could participate include the Bank of China, China Construction Bank, China Mobile, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Rail and Rolling Stock Corp, China National Pharmaceutical Group, and BYD, according to Reuters. The government approved China’s plans for its new embassy at Royal Mint Court on Tuesday, despite intelligence agencies saying they could not eliminate the risks to national security. Critics have said the huge site near crucial data cables will provide a base for Chinese spying and oppression of dissidents in the UK. Security minister Dan Jarvis told MPs he was ‘assured that the UK national security is protected’, and any risks posed by the new embassy were being ‘appropriately managed’. And the heads of MI5 and GCHQ said intelligence agencies had created a ‘package of national security mitigations’ for the embassy. The controversial greenlighting paved the way for Starmer’s visit to China, widely expected next week. Downing Street would not comment on the potential trip, which would be the first by a prime minister since May’s visit in 2018. Starmer has said his approach to dealing with Xi Jinping’s country is to ‘co-operate where we can and challenge where we must, particularly on national security’. His bid to strengthen the relationship with the Asian superpower comes after its deterioration under successive Tory governments, with concerns over security, human rights and the sanctioning of Westminster parliamentarians souring ties with Beijing. By Sophie Wingate, Press Association Deputy Political Editor Press Association: News source: PA Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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