Chinese premier pledges expanded market access in UK business delegation meeting

China will further expand market access and strengthen service guarantees for foreign investment, Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday when meeting with a delegation of the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) led by CBBC Chair Sherard Cowper-Coles.

Li congratulated the CBBC on its 70th anniversary, and expressed appreciation for the organization's commitment to promoting China-UK ties, its historic ice-breaking role for bilateral trade, and its role as a bridge of communication and dialogue between the two countries.

Noting that China attaches great importance to its relations with the UK, Li said China is willing to enhance dialogue with the UK side, deepen cooperation, and respect each other's core interests and major concerns, so as to work for the sustained and steady development of ties along the right track.

He went on to point out that China is willing to intensify economic and trade exchanges with the UK, share development opportunities, expand cooperation in finance, new energy, biomedicine, digital economy and other fields, and carry out more third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Stressing that China is committed to the basic state policy of opening up, Li said China will further expand market access, strengthen service guarantees for foreign investment, and provide a more favorable environment for foreign companies to do business in China. "We welcome companies from the UK and other countries to continue to invest in China."

He expressed hope that the CBBC and the British business community will inherit and carry forward the ice-breaking spirit, and act as the conveyor of China-UK friendship, the promoter of mutually beneficial cooperation, and the defender of stable and smooth industrial and supply chains to continue contributing to the development of China-UK relations.

Cowper-Coles said the CBBC supports China in promoting reform and opening up and pursuing high-quality development. The organization is willing to continue to play a bridging role and make positive contributions to promoting the development of UK-China relations and deepening bilateral cooperation, he added.