British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit China with nearly 60 British businesses and cultural organizations, the first such state visit in eight years. The trip aims to discuss trade, investment, and national security with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Financial industry leaders and pharmaceutical executives will accompany Starmer on the visit.

The group of business representatives includes HSBC Group Chairman Brendan Nelson, Aberdeen Group CEO Jason Windsor, Airbus’s general counsel John Harrison, and British Airways Chief Commercial Officer Colm Lacy. Pharmaceutical executives AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot and GSK Chair Sir Jonathan Symonds will also join the delegation. The visit comes amidst escalating U.S. tensions with trading partners and foreign leaders visiting Beijing this month.

In recent weeks, Beijing has hosted various foreign leaders, including Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ireland’s Prime Minister Michael Martin, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung, and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Xi has been meeting with global leaders as tensions rise with the U.S. and disputes involving Greenland continue to unfold.

Read more at CNBC: Airbus, AstraZeneca and HSBC executives join UK’s Starmer on high-stakes China trip