Reboot for Sino-UK ties in the wake of Brexit

With the largest-ever trade delegation in her entourage of any overseas trip made by a British prime minister, Theresa May's three-day visit to China certainly means business.

The 50 or so business leaders, who May said represent all parts of the UK economy, are expected to garner a sizable bunch of deals during the visit. Something the embattled UK leader will be glad to return with.

But while business deals are essential for enriching and consolidating relations, the more important part of the visit for May will be in what way, and to what extent, the visitor and her hosts can advance the theoretically fine agreement to make the UK China's closest partner in the West, which was one of the outcomes of President Xi Jinping's visit to the United Kingdom in 2015.