Overview
- Downing Street says the trip secured hundreds of millions in new Chinese investment alongside £2.2 billion in exports and £2.3 billion in market access.
- Chinese energy storage manufacturer HiTHIUM will invest £200 million in the UK and create 300 jobs to bolster grid reliability.
- JD.com will help British brands reach its consumers and plans to launch its Joybuy online retail platform in the UK in March.
- Further moves include Pop Mart planning a London regional hub with new stores and 150 UK jobs, Asymchem expanding UK operations, Chery preparing a Liverpool base per the city council, Schroders signing an MoU with CATL on battery storage, and Octopus Energy pursuing a joint venture with PCG Power in China.
- No free-trade agreement was reached, with several announcements structured as MOUs or plans, as Starmer frames engagement with China as a pragmatic economic opportunity.