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British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in China on a visit focused on hashing out new trade arrangements once Britain leaves the European Union.

May flew Wednesday to the central industrial center of Wuhan and is traveling later to Beijing for talks with Premier Li Keqiang (LEE kuh-chee-AANG') and President Xi Jinping (SHE JIN'-ping).

May is accompanied by 50 British business leaders, including the chief executives of Jaguar Land Rover and drug firm AstraZeneca. She will also visit the financial hub of Shanghai before heading home on Friday.

May wants to burnish the "golden era" between the countries announced by Xi during a state visit to Britain in 2015.

Bolstering ties with China, the world's second-largest economy, became more urgent after Britain voted in 2016 to leave the EU.