HSBC chair Nelson among bosses joining Starmer on China visit

Brenand Nelson, the caller president of HSBC Holdings, volition beryllium among the concern leaders who question to China with Sir Keir Starmer adjacent week arsenic the premier curate tries to reset Britain's narration with Beijing.

Sky News has learnt that Mr Nelson, who lone took implicit arsenic the bank's imperishable seat past month, volition beryllium portion of Sir Keir's concern delegation, alongside executives from companies expected to see London Stock Exchange Group, Prudential and Rolls-Royce.

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The sojourn volition beryllium the archetypal by a British premier since 2018, erstwhile Theresa May took a concern delegation to China.

One backstage assemblage root said the abbreviated announcement progressive successful arranging the travel meant a fig of companies were apt to nonstop executives different than their CEOs with the PM.

Reuters reported this week that a revamped UK-China CEO Council was apt to beryllium unveiled adjacent week, with representatives from companies including AstraZeneca, BP and Jaguar Land Rover expected to participate.

The go-ahead for Sir Keir's sojourn came aft the authorities this week approved plans for a caller Chinese embassy successful London - a determination which has been mired successful contention implicit perceived information risks.

Business leaders person joined premier ministers connected a drawstring of erstwhile visits to Beijing, including during the premiership of David Cameron, who hailed a 'golden era' of relations betwixt the 2 countries.

The narration has cooled importantly successful caller times amid geopolitical stresses, and determination stay doubts implicit whether different bilateral economical forums betwixt Britain and China - including the Economic and Financial Dialogue - volition instrumentality spot arsenic scheduled this year.

"We had the aureate age, which past flipped to an crystal age," Sir Keir said successful a code past month.

"We cull that binary choice," helium said, adding that China was a "nation of immense scale, ambition and ingenuity" and "a defining unit successful technology, successful commercialized and planetary governance".

None of the companies contacted by Sky News would comment.