Starmer's visit enhances China-UK ties, demonstrates huge appeal of Chinese market: CBBC chief

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China has brought vitality to the China-UK relations and further demonstrated the huge appeal of the Chinese market, said China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) chief on Saturday.

Starmer's paid an official visit to China from Wednesday to Saturday, the first trip by a UK prime minister in eight years.

In an exclusive interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Shanghai, CBBC chief executive Peter Burnett highlighted the meaning of Starmer's visit that filled the eight-year gap, as well as the fruitful results of the visit, including the signing of a series of memorandums of understanding (MoUs).

Burnett also noted that British companies should evaluate their strength and take an active and earnest part in the booming Chinese market.

"I think they're very significant. It's been, as we all know, eight years since a Prime Minister from the United Kingdom has visited China. And that has created a vacuum and a gap which needed to be filled very, very rapidly from a business perspective. And the MoUs of the tangible outcomes and the agreements that have been signed. And I think people need to look below the surface of the MoUs substantially of what is being proposed, because it's really meaningful. I think in particular, for example, services are a major component of the UK economy, a major strength of the UK economy and somewhere where we believe that we can contribute a great deal to support China. China needs more services, large British companies should be engaging today in China, particularly as they want to grow their businesses through collaboration and cooperation. British companies need to think about their domestic capabilities in China. So we had an example from one company that said that they developed a product domestically in China for the Chinese consumer, which is now going global. So it just shows you that China is now the source of global trends. Increasingly, you're developing product capability in China and taking that overseas," said Burnett.

The high-level business talks between the two sides have been lively, which demonstrated the importance of the Chinese market to many British businesses, according to Burnett.

"It's been a huge relief. I have to say, first and foremost, to have the Prime Minister here. The big business delegation, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which is the equivalent of your Ministry of Commerce, they've been very, very active, they've been very, very busy. And that more importantly than all of that is, they've obviously had their very high-level meetings with the President, with the Premier, with the Minister of Commerce and a number of other officials in China. Those have been critically important, but they've also spent a lot of time with the business delegation, and the business delegation of course loves that. And they've learned, I think, from the business delegation just how important this trip has been and just how important the Chinese market is for so many British businesses," he said.

Starmer's visit enhances China-UK ties, demonstrates huge appeal of Chinese market: CBBC chief

Large numbers of Tokyo residents rallied in front of Shinjuku Station on Saturday to protest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, warning that her comments and her administration's push for military expansion risk drawing Japan into a war.

Takaichi claimed during a Diet meeting on Nov 7, 2025, that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, a remark that immediately drew strong criticism at home and abroad.

"Takaichi's remarks that a Taiwan emergency could constitute a 'survival-threatening situation' clearly point to a government leaning toward war. We must stand up and voice our opposition," a protester said.

Another protester accused the government of deliberately steering Japan toward conflict.

"I believe the Japanese government is preparing for war, constantly revising laws and conducting military exercises. We stand against this. Despite knowing that China will respond forcefully, they continue to make such statements intentionally -- their true intention is to push for war," she said.

Protesters also expressed strong opposition to the Japanese government's continuous increase in defense spending and its aggressive military agenda.

"Upon taking office, the Takaichi government immediately pledged to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP, and now it even seeks to boost it to 3.5 or even 5 percent. It is clear that Japan is the one truly seeking to start a war," one of the demonstrators said.

Others cited Japan's wartime history in Asia.

"After all, Japan had invaded the Korea Peninsula, the Taiwan region, and China. Simply expressing opposition to war is not enough; we need concrete actions to prevent it. Otherwise, the Japanese army could very well cause bloodshed again in Asia. We feel a profound sense of crisis about this," a protester said.

Tokyo residents rally over Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks, warn Japan is being pushed toward war