China says May to visit China from January 31

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May would visit China from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying confirmed the visit during a regular news briefing in Beijing. China is one of the countries with which Britain hopes to sign a free trade pact once it leaves the European Union, and London and Beijing have been keen to show that Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc will not affect ties.