‘Auntie May’ hails golden era as Britain and China take first trade deal steps
THERESA May completed the first step towards a post-Brexit trade deal with China yesterday following talks with the country’s President Xi Jinping.
The two leaders agreed a comprehensive trade and investment review that will go through economic sectors line by line, examining opportunities for lifting barriers to markets.
The meeting was the centrepiece of a three-day trip to China by the Prime Minister – who has been nicknamed ‘Auntie May’ by the Chinese.
In an opening move, China agreed this week to ease restrictions on dairy products and start the process of ending the ban on British beef – an initiative that could be worth £500million to British producers.
Opening yesterday’s meeting, President Xi indicated he was keen to build on existing relations. Quoting from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, he told Mrs May: ‘The past is the prologue.’ Mrs May said Britain and China were enjoying a ‘golden era’ in their relationship, adding that she wanted to ‘take further forward the global strategic partnership that we have established’.
The review is only the second Britain has agreed, following a similar arrangement with India.
Yesterday Mrs May also presented President Xi with a box set of Sir David Attenborough’s landmark Blue Planet 2 series, which highlights the threat posed by plastic waste, along with a personal message from the world renowned naturalist. China is the world’s biggest producer of plastic, churning out a quarter of all global production.
Speaking after the meeting, a British source said: ‘This was the world’s fastest growing economy making it very clear it’s very much open for British business and wants to get things done.’
The Prime Minister has been accompanied by a 50- strong business delegation.
Commercial deals worth a total of £9billion have been signed during the trip, Downing Street said. They include an agreement by China’s largest retailer JD.com to sell £2billion worth of British goods over the next two years.
Mrs May also learned she has been granted the affectionate nickname ‘Auntie May’ by some Chinese. An interviewer on TV network CCTV told her: ‘That’s really a kind of a call for Chinese – you’re one of the members of the family.’