Sherard Cowper-Coles, chair of the China-Britain Business Council, said the interchange between countries is ultimately about the health, wealth, and happiness of people.

"I have believed in this (China-UK) relationship for 70 years, but the developments to which the ambassador referred, the chaos emanating from Washington, the destruction that is being inflicted on the global trading system…make it all the more important.

"Those of us who believe in free trade, in open exchange, in the theory of comparative advantage invented here in Britain by David Ricardo some 200 years ago; those of us who know that it may be more efficient to manufacture a toy in China, and a consumer good by Haleon in Britain or perhaps in Tianjin, we know that this is how the world works, how prosperity and efficiency are created. That is why, last year, trade between Britain and China reached an all-time record of over 113 billion pounds.

"Of course, this is about the profits of companies, but it's also, in the end, about the health, wealth, and happiness of our people."