Majority supports closer UK-China economic ties: survey

LONDON, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- A live survey conducted by The Times shows on Tuesday that over 60 percent of respondents believe Britain should strengthen economic ties with China.

As of Tuesday evening, more than 5,660 participants had responded to the question "Is Starmer right to forge closer economic ties with China?" and 63 percent of them voted "yes."

John Bryson, a strategy and international business expert at the University of Birmingham, told Xinhua: "The recent reader poll represents a snapshot of a particular group's attitudes."

"In many cases, trade fosters job creation and global economic growth. Encouraging open, fair, and transparent trading relationships is a core economic development strategy," he said.

The survey was carried out by the pollster Opinary for The Times, Britain's oldest national daily newspaper.