Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 26, 2026
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleAstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot will join UK PM Keir Starmer in China to strengthen UK-China relations, amid plans to revive a CEO Council.
By Andrew MacAskill, Maggie Fick and Bhanvi Satija
LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - UK-based drugmakers AstraZeneca and GSK will join British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's trip to China this week, sources said, as Britain seeks to strengthen ties with Beijing at a time of strained relations with Washington.
AstraZeneca's CEO Pascal Soriot and GSK's board chair Jonathan Symonds were expected to be on the business delegation, the two people familiar with the matter said.
AstraZeneca and GSK declined to comment.
Starmer's trip comes amid tensions between Britain and its traditional closest ally, the United States, over President Donald Trump's unpredictable approach to trade and defence. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also visited Beijing this month and hailed improving ties with China.
PLANS TO REVIVE 'UK-CHINA CEO COUNCIL'
The British government has not released a list of executives expected to travel to China, but sources told Reuters last week that Britain and China planned to revive a "UK-China CEO Council" of British and Chinese companies, with AstraZeneca among them.
AstraZeneca, the largest company on London's FTSE 100 by market value, has operated in China for more than 30 years and has invested billions of dollars there during Soriot's tenure as CEO since 2012.
GSK has a smaller presence in China. It signed an agreement with China's Hengrui Pharma last year to develop a dozen medicines aimed at respiratory and other conditions.
Western drugmakers increasingly view China not only as a large sales market but also as a rapidly rising source of biotech innovation.
AstraZeneca announced a $2.5 billion Beijing research and development hub in March last year, its second R&D centre in China after a Shanghai site opened in 2024.
Soriot has cited China's blend of scientific capability and rapid execution — what he called "China speed" — as helping to accelerate drug development, including by enabling faster progress in R&D and large-scale clinical trials.
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Additional reporting by Maggie Fick and Bhanvi Satija; Editing by Louise Heavens and Alex Richardson)
Corporate governance refers to the systems and processes that direct and control a company, ensuring accountability and transparency in its operations.
International capital refers to financial assets and investments that flow across national borders, often used for funding projects or businesses in foreign countries.
An appointment in a corporate context refers to the formal designation of an individual to a specific position or role within an organization.
Innovation in business refers to the process of developing new ideas, products, or services that improve efficiency, effectiveness, or competitive advantage.
The CEO, or Chief Executive Officer, is the highest-ranking executive in a company, responsible for making major corporate decisions and managing overall operations.
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