Britain's trade minister: China can't be ignored despite row over embassies

11/9/2025 16:36

Britain's new trade minister Peter Kyle, visiting Beijing for the first trade talks since 2018, said China's economic might made it "unignorable", but better commercial ties hinged on both sides moving past a long-running row on new embassies.



Kyle, on his first trip since being appointed last week, will restart trade talks under the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO).



Britain's new business and trade secretary seeks to lift trade barriers worth £1 billion over five years, particularly in agriculture, autos and professional services.



But a decision due next month by Britain's housing department on Beijing's plans to build the largest embassy in Europe in London could jeopardise those trade ambitions, diplomats and analysts say.



Politicians and the United States have warned that China could use the site for spying.



"China, because of its emerging economic status, isn't just unignorable, it is also desirable to engage with," Kyle told reporters.



He was responding to a query whether Britain should follow the European Union in seeking to "de-risk" from the $19-trillion economy and focus on domestic industrial strategy.