During her three-day trip to China, Theresa May has agreed to a joint trade and investment review with China.
The Prime Minister said that during her state-trip, she planned to sign £9 billion in business deals with China’s President Xi Jinping.
Downing Street has said that no specific trade model has been agreed on yet but the UK “will be free to strike our own trade deals” after leaving the EU.
China’s state-run media praised Theresa May on her visit after she wisely “sidestepped” human rights issues.
“Some western media outlets keep pestering May to criticise Beijing in an attempt to showcase that the UK has withstood pressure from China and the west has consolidated its commanding position over the country in politics,” wrote the Communist Party-run tabloid.
“May will definitely not make any comment contrary to the goals of her China trip … For the prime minister, the losses outweigh the gains if she appeases the British media at the cost of the visit’s friendly atmosphere.”
Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry also appeared to be grateful for May’s lack of attention to these topics.
“You must have felt the strong and positive willingness on the British side to enhance all-around cooperation with China,” they told reporters.
May has raised environmental issues with the Chinese government. She announced renewed efforts from both states to strengthen international action against the illegal trade in ivory.
The Prime Minister was also understood to give Xi a box-set of the BBC’s Blue Planet II series, with a personal message from presenter Sir David Attenborough included.
May recently announced plans to eradicate the UK’s avoidable plastic waste by 2042 as part of a 25-year green strategy.
“We look back in horror at some of the damage done to our environment in the past and wonder how anyone could have thought that, for example, dumping toxic chemicals into rivers was ever the right thing to do,” said May.
UK-China trade is currently worth a £59 billion a year.