Business Is Starmer’s China Visit a Lose-Lose Trip? by Victoria Sterling -Business Editor January 30, 2026 written by Victoria Sterling -Business Editor January 30, 2026 89 “`html Friday 30 January 2026 11:22 am | Updated: Friday 30 January 2026 11:23 am Share Facebook$1 trillion trade surplus, its move towards increasing economic self-sufficiency and its projection to increase from 30 per cent to 40 per cent share of global manufacturing, this trade trip was always going to be challenging. The UK’s trade with China has doubled while the UK’s market share for goods and services in China fell last year after remaining largely unchanged since 2014. Despite the framing of China as a natural partner to drive growth in the UK economy, China only accounts for 0.2 per cent of foreign direct investment, which contrasts starkly against the USA which accounts for £1 in every £3 of foreign investment. The UK public is all too aware of the high price of getting Chinese investment into the UK wrong, whether that is the £2bn of taxpayer money being spent on stripping Huawei from our 5G telecommunications network or the £700m given to China Nuclear general to exit Sizewell C. Past “successes” of the UK-China economic relationship have not stood the test of time. The Chinese owner of lotus last year announced the cutting of 42 per cent of its UK workforce, while UK-listed pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca’s local executives continue to languish in jail in China on allegations of fraud and violating the country’s Data Security Law. China trip yields few tangible wins Similar to the recent visits of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron to Beijing, the tangible outcomes from this visit appear few and far between. Thes announcements include non-binding Memorandums of Understanding, the Share this: Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X Related businessChinachina tradedavid cameronKeir StarmernewsOpinionuk china relationsUK governmentXi Jinping 0 comments 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail Victoria Sterling -Business Editor Victoria Sterling brings over 15 years of financial journalism expertise to NewsDirectory3. Her specialties include market analysis, corporate governance, mergers & acquisitions, and economic policy. previous post Quinton Aaron: Recovering After Spinal Stroke next post WAN-IFRA Condemns Legal Targeting of Vanguardia in Mexico You may also like Warsh Tapped for Fed as Earnings Week Ends... January 30, 2026 Housing Crisis Plans: Will the Netherlands Solve the... January 30, 2026 Muddled Musical: Moments of Brilliance Review January 30, 2026 Trump Nominee Kevin Warsh to Lead Federal Reserve January 30, 2026 Castilla y León Surplus Reaches 444 Million Euros January 30, 2026 Pik Cross-Country Skiing IPO Cancelled: Alpine Skiing Deal... January 30, 2026 Trump’s War Against the States: A Deep Dive January 30, 2026 Vorcaro Meets DF Governor – Official Confirmation January 30, 2026 Trump Nominates Former Fed Official as Next Central... January 30, 2026 French Economy Slows Despite Exceeding Government Forecasts January 30, 2026 Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Victoria Sterling -Business Editor
Victoria Sterling brings over 15 years of financial journalism expertise to NewsDirectory3. Her specialties include market analysis, corporate governance, mergers & acquisitions, and economic policy.
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