Britons travelling to China will no longer need visas, No 10 announces after Starmer meeting with Xi

Sir Keir Starmer has secured a deal on visa-free travel to China for UK citizens during his visit to Beijing, Downing Street has announced.

Britons will be able to travel to China for 30 days without a visa under the new deal, which will apply to both tourists and business travellers. It brings the UK into line with 50 other countries, including France and Germany.

Sir Keir said: “As one of the world’s economic powerhouses, businesses have been crying out for ways to grow their footprints in China. 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.”

Sir Keir and the Chinese leadership also agreed to work towards a trade agreement on services, setting out clear rules for UK companies wishing to do business in China.

The deal on visas could be significant in terms of helping the UK achieve economic growth, by opening up opportunities between the two countries. But it comes amid concerns over Chinese espionage in the UK, with the recent collapse of the trial of two men – an academic and a former parliamentary researcher – alleged to have engaged in spying for Beijing.

A number of political figures have also pushed for the UK to erect further barriers with China over attempts to steal UK copyright, as well as human rights abuses in Hong Kong, where the activist and British citizen Jimmy Lai has been imprisoned since 2020.

But the deal comes as Sir Keir is pushing for investment in the UK – and after Donald Trump imposed tariffs that have had an impact on Britain’s relationship with the US, its biggest trade partner.

Sir Keir has also agreed a data-sharing deal to help tackle the small-boats crisis, with 60 per cent of the boat engines used by organised criminal gangs coming from China.

Earlier, at the start of the meeting, Sir Keir told President Xi that he wanted to achieve a “more sophisticated” relationship with China, while Mr Xi said relations between the two countries had been through some “twists and turns” in recent years.

Sir Keir met with Mr Xi at the Great Hall of the People on the first morning of his trip to China, the first vist by a UK prime minister since 2018.

Afterwards, the prime minister said: “We made some really good progress on tariffs for whisky, on visa-free travel to China, and on information exchange and cooperation on irregular migration, focusing particularly on small boats and engine parts.

“So a very good, constructive meeting, with real outcomes – and that’s very much in our national interest.”

The meeting, which lasted about an hour and 20 minutes, was the second between the two men and represents the culmination of months of preparation for Sir Keir’s visit as he seeks to reset relations between the UK and China.

The Chinese government said, in its own readout of the meeting, that it was willing to “actively consider” implementing unilateral visa-free entry for the UK.

Downing Street’s readout said the two leaders had “agreed they would continue to enhance cooperation on areas of mutual interest, while maintaining frank and open dialogue on areas of disagreement”.

“The prime minister raised areas of concern to the United Kingdom,” No 10 added.

Sir Keir is understood to regard meetings with the Chinese leadership as crucial for Britain, as he seeks to emphasise the practical benefits of engaging with Beijing.

To that end, he arrived alongside a delegation of 54 representatives of British businesses and cultural institutions looking to deepen ties with the country.