The agreement was celebrated as a sign of Britain’s post-Brexit free trade prospects as China agreed to open itself up to the UK market and import British agricultural products.
Prime Minister Mrs May and Chinese prime minister Li Keqiang signed a series of international cooperation agreements covering trade, investments, and people-to-people exchanges.
Chinese premier Li Keqiang hailed the “substantive results” of the bilateral agreement, which represents an improved trading opportunity for the UK.
He said: “In line with our agreement we extend openness to products of the UK including agricultural products.
“China will import UK products that are needed in the Chinese market.”
Mr Li vowed that UK-China relations would remain strong regardless of Britain’s future relationship with the EU.
He said: “Brexit is a situation that both our countries face. But for a very long time our bilateral relations have been going forward continuously.
“Our bilateral relationship will not change with the changes of EU-UK relations. We will have assessment and discussions on our trade relationship, to link our economic and trading relationship going forward.”
He also said Britain and China had pledged to work closely together within the United Nations, and had a joint responsibility to ensure world peace.
Theresa May added the new agreement would be in the interests not only of China and the UK, but in the interests of ameliorating global conflicts.
She said: “We can work together not just to improve those links between us which will bring benefit to people in the UK and in China. But also working together on those global issues like North Korea and modern slavery which have an impact around the world.”
50 UK business leaders have joined Theresa May on the visit to China, hoping they can benefit from the two leaders’ commitment to upholding free trade.