China relaxes visa rules for UK citizens

China agreed to relax rules to allow some visa-free travel for UK citizens ​on Thursday during a visit by Prime Minister Keir ‌Starmer to Beijing, as part of a partnership deal which London hopes ‌will help expand its service sector.

British citizens will be allowed to visit China without a visa if they are travelling for under 30 days, Starmer said following his talks with ⁠President Xi Jinping, in ‌what he cast as a win for business.

Companies had been “crying out for ways to grow ‍their footprints in China”, a statement from Starmer said, adding that visa-free travel would help facilitate expansion in that market, boosting jobs ​at home.

Injecting growth into Britain’s relatively sluggish economy is ‌one of the main aims of his four-day trip.

As part of what Britain called a “new partnership”, the two countries also agreed to conduct a feasibility study which could pave the way towards a bilateral services agreement, which would further ⁠help British firms doing business in ​China.

Britain’s economy is underpinned by its ​huge services sector and the partnership will aim to grow links in the healthcare, financial and ‍professional services, legal ⁠services, education and skills sectors, the statement said.

Britain exports 13 billion pounds worth of services to China annually, ⁠it added, and demand from China is growing.