New UK trade data reveals a striking shift in the country’s commercial relationship with China.

While total UK exports to China declined in 2025, exports of professional and business services recorded strong growth. For British consultancies, technology firms, financial services providers, education businesses and other service-led organisations, the figures suggest that opportunities remain significant.

However, entering the market and being visible within it are not the same thing.

UK services exports to China continue to grow

According to the latest China Trade and Investment Factsheet from the UK Department for Business and Trade, UK services exports to China reached £13.2 billion in the 12 months to the end of December 2025.

This represented an annual increase of 4.8%.

The strongest performance came from the category described as “other business services”, which increased by 25.1% to £1.8 billion.

This category includes:

• professional and management consulting;

• research and development;

• technical services;

• trade-related services.

Financial services exports rose by 6.6% to £1.4 billion, while travel-related exports increased by 9.8% to £7.1 billion.

These results contrast with UK goods exports to China, which fell by 4.9% to £18.2 billion. Overall UK exports to China declined by 1.0% to £31.4 billion.

The data suggests that services are becoming an increasingly important part of the UK–China commercial relationship.

Why this matters for UK service businesses

For British professional services firms, the figures are encouraging.

China continues to create demand for expertise, specialist knowledge, international education, technology, financial services and cross-border advisory support.

Yet strong market demand does not mean that every British company will benefit equally.

A company may have:

• a respected reputation in the UK;

• an established English-language website;

• strong case studies;

• extensive media coverage;

• recognised industry expertise.

But when a potential customer searches for that company in Chinese, the brand may be difficult to find, poorly explained or represented inconsistently.

At Gogetop Marketing, we describe this as the cross-border discoverability gap.

What is the cross-border discoverability gap?

The cross-border discoverability gap is the difference between a brand’s reputation in its home market and its ability to be found, understood and trusted in another market.

In China, brand discovery may happen across several connected channels, including:

• Chinese-language search;

• RedNote;

• WeChat;

• short-video platforms;

• online media;

• company websites;

• AI assistants and generative search tools.

  
  

A translated website may explain what a company does, but translation alone does not create visibility, authority or trust.

For service businesses, customers often conduct extensive research before making an enquiry. They may compare providers, search for third-party coverage, review social content and ask AI tools to recommend suitable companies.

If a brand has little consistent Chinese-language information available, it may be excluded before the first conversation even takes place.

AI is changing how brands are discovered

China had approximately 1.125 billion internet users at the end of 2025.

The number of generative AI users reached 602 million, representing an adoption rate of 42.8%.

This matters because brand discovery is no longer limited to conventional search engines.

Potential customers increasingly use AI tools to identify companies, compare expertise and summarise available information. These systems depend heavily on the quality, consistency and credibility of information available online.

A company with limited Chinese-language content, weak third-party references or inconsistent brand information may therefore be less likely to appear in AI-generated recommendations.

Four areas British brands should review

British companies considering China should assess four connected areas.

1. Brand consistency

The Chinese company name, service descriptions, positioning and key facts should be consistent across all platforms.

Different translations or conflicting company information can weaken credibility and make the brand harder to identify.

2. Native-language content

Content should answer the questions that customers in the market are actually asking.

Directly translating UK website copy is rarely enough. Local audiences may have different concerns, decision-making processes and expectations.

3. Third-party credibility

Media coverage, expert commentary, partnerships, case studies and authoritative references help potential customers verify a company’s claims.

They also strengthen the information available to search engines and AI systems.

4. A clear route to enquiry

Visibility must lead somewhere.

Customers should be able to move easily from search, media coverage or social content to a suitable enquiry channel, whether that is a website form, WeChat contact or another market-appropriate route.

Market access is only the beginning

The growth in UK business services exports to China is a positive signal.

It shows that British expertise continues to attract demand and that service-led companies may find significant opportunities in the market.

But market access alone does not create commercial success.

Brands must also become visible, understandable and credible within the digital environment used by their prospective customers.

As Ann Zhu, Co-Founder and Director of Gogetop Marketing, explains:

“A company may have a strong UK reputation, an established website and extensive English-language media coverage, yet remain almost invisible when customers search in Chinese, use local platforms or compare providers through AI tools.”

For British brands, the question is no longer simply whether China offers opportunity.

The more important question is whether the brand can be found, understood and trusted when that opportunity arises.

About Gogetop Marketing

Gogetop Marketing is a London-based cross-border marketing and communications agency supporting international brands, start-ups and professional services firms across the UK, China and global markets.

Our services include brand strategy, China marketing, RedNote and WeChat marketing, public relations, website development, SEO, AI Search/GEO and cross-market communications.