In an eye-catching finale to his two-day visit to Beijing, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emerged from the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on 29 January to announce that China will waive visas for ordinary UK passport holders for stays of up to 30 days. The concession, agreed in talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, is the first time London has enjoyed unilateral visa-free access to the world’s second-largest economy. It comes eight years after the last UK prime-ministerial visit and signals a thaw after what Starmer called the “ice-age” in bilateral ties. (theguardian.com)
For business travellers and multinationals the change removes one of the most persistent pain-points in managing China trips: the need to courier passports to a visa centre—often twice—before every journey. According to UK Government data, more than 157 000 standard Chinese visas were issued to British citizens in 2025; corporates spent an estimated £42 million on processing fees and logistics. Those costs could drop overnight once the policy is gazetted.
The deal is reciprocal only in spirit for now; UK borders will maintain visa requirements for Chinese nationals. Yet officials hinted that a bilateral working group will study possible facilitation for Chinese investors and students—a sign the UK is re-positioning itself as a services hub as it courts foreign direct investment post-Brexit.
During the transition to the new regime, travellers who still need documentation—or simply want professional guidance—can lean on VisaHQ’s China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/). The platform monitors policy roll-outs in real time, arranges any interim paperwork and offers live support for corporate mobility teams, ensuring seamless compliance whether a trip ends up visa-free or visa-required.
Starmer also secured a halving of China’s tariff on Scotch whisky, cooperation to curb people-smuggling equipment and a pledge to reopen stalled climate-finance talks. Human-rights issues, including the case of Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai, were “raised frankly”, Downing Street said. Business lobbies largely welcomed the announcements but some MPs warned that Beijing could use the visa waiver as political leverage if relations sour again.
Practical tip: companies should wait for the official implementation notice before cancelling booked visa appointments. Early indications are that 30-day stays will cover tourism, conferences, short-term projects and internal onward travel, but not remunerated work. Travellers will still need to complete arrival cards and register addresses with police or hotels within 24 hours, as per existing rules.
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