The day began visit to China began with the UK-China Business Forum, hosted in the Atrium of the Bank of China’s head office in Beijing. The closed-door event was attended by a selection of the business delegation alongside senior in-country representatives from UK business, as well as large representation from Chinese businesses. The PM provided opening remarks and held private meetings with representatives from a number of Chinese and British businesses.

The Forum delivered a raft of company announcements that will consolidate growing business ties between the UK and China. The headline stories included:

• Octopus Energy announced an agreement with PCG Power to establish a power trading platform in China.
• Automotive company Chery Commercial Vehicles signed an agreement with Liverpool City Council to open its European headquarters in the city.
• UK investment management company Schroders and CATL announced the launch of a €1 billion energy storage platform in Europe.

CBBC was also pleased to announce two MoUs of our own: an MoU with the Suzhou New District to develop the Sino-UK Business & Innovation Hub, and an agreement with JD.com to promote British brands on the JINGDONG Cross-border platform.

In the afternoon, the PM and delegation flew to Shanghai for the remainder of the visit. The PM began with a tour of the Yuyuan Garden and its surrounding commercial district, before joining the ‘House of UK’ Reception, attended by over 300 representatives of British and Chinese businesses headquartered in Shanghai.

Speaking at the Reception, the PM stated he had come in the spirit of “engagement, resetting, and setting out a comprehensive long-term strategic partnership.” He also said “the more we engage, the more that mutual trust and respect can be built, upon which a great future and opportunities lie.”

The PM also announced earlier in the day that China would lift its individual sanctions on several British MPs and peers as a result of yesterday's talks in Beijing, stating the decision demonstrated the importance of constructive engagement with China.