Starmer's visit sets stage for deeper China-UK collaboration: AstraZeneca CEO

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's landmark visit to China has created renewed momentum for bilateral cooperation across science, technology, and green industries, according to Pascal Soriot, CEO of British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.

Starmer arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin a four-day official visit to China -- the first trip by a British prime minister in eight years.

Speaking in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing on Friday, Soriot hailed the significance of the visit for the bilateral relations between China and UK.

"[The visit is] very important. I think the last visit of a UK prime minister to China was eight years ago. Actually, I was part of the delegation at the time. And those two countries are great potential collaborators. And the UK places life sciences as a priority. Same for China -- focus on science, focus on innovation. Beyond my sector, there is also potential for collaboration in AI, potential for collaboration in green energy, green transition. I think Prime Minister Starmer's visit has been very successful, and hopefully [it will] set the stage for increased collaboration in the future," said the CEO.

Addressing concerns about China's rising industrial competitiveness, Soriot offered a refreshingly optimistic perspective. Rather than viewing Chinese competition as a threat, he framed it as a catalyst for global progress.

"I'm a believer that competition is good. You have to focus on science, and then you have to compete. So, I tell my team we have to collaborate, that's key. But we also have to learn to compete. If you don't compete well, then basically you're not going to do well and you're going to disappear. So in many ways, this competition coming out of China is an incentive for us to do even better. If we all do better, then society will benefit. There will be more medicines, more innovation. So, I see this (competition from China) as a positive factor," he said.

AstraZeneca recently pledged to invest 15 billion U.S. dollars in China through 2030 to expand its medicines manufacturing and research and development infrastructure, a commitment underscoring the company's strategic bet on China as a hub for scientific advancement.

Starmer's visit sets stage for deeper China-UK collaboration: AstraZeneca CEO

Spain is seeing a surge in European tourists as conflict in the Middle East prompts travelers to opt for closer and safer destinations.

With Easter holiday underway, Palma de Mallorca airport has been packed with visitors who abandoned plans for trips eastward. Hostilities triggered by Israeli‑U.S. strikes on Iran have forced major airports across the Middle East to cancel or delay flights, severely disrupting aviation and tourism in the region.

"We were thinking about going to Dubai, but because of the war, there was no option, so we came here to Mallorca," said a traveler named Michelle, who works as a kindergarten teacher.

"We thought about going to Thailand, but I see the flights were disrupted and they said there were drones and things like that, so we thought Spain may be a safer option," another traveler Ross McGrego said.

"The situation in the Middle East is a little bit too unstable for my holiday plans," said traveler Rose Danaher, a rabies specialist nurse with the UK Health Services Agency.

The influx has brought new opportunities for local businesses. Local restaurant owner in Mallorca Victoria Amoros opened her second restaurant just days ago.

"50,000 people extra are flying to Mallorca. These people were supposed to fly to the Middle East and they are rerouted to Mallorca. I don't know how we are going to handle that, but we will receive them with love," said Amoros, owner of La Malvasia Restaurant Chain.

Chris Pomeroy, the global head of tourism of international communications group Hopscotch said people all over the world are choosing to holiday closer to home.

"So, 14 percent of international travel goes through the Middle East, it's a connectivity issue. So, when these bridges are down, the logical effect is that people will stay in their hemisphere. We say in tourism that when in times of conflict, investors turn to gold, and in times of conflict, tour operators turn to Spain," he said.

Spain welcomed a record 97 million foreign tourists in 2025, and industry experts say the figure could surpass 100 million this year. With Middle East routes disrupted, Spain's role as Europe's fallback destination is set to grow even further.

Spain tourism surges as Europeans opt for safer holidays amid Middle East conflict