Boris Johnson: Theresa May must 'do better' on Chinese visas Business leaders have raised concerns that the bureaucratic process has been deterring Chinese visitors from coming to Britain and has been costing the economy millions. Mr Johnson told the Evening Standard: "It's totally right that Theresa is trying to streamline the system, that's very important... but we need to do even better. International investment throughout history has come and gone and has always been, in my view, for the overall good of the London economy. The situation did become a bit frozen up but that didn't apply to us. There's no sense in which there's been a sudden thawing in relations with London. We're going, and I think we would have gone, under any circumstances. The Chancellor's mission in China will begin within hours of Mr Johnson's. The pair will make a joint speech at Peking University. Asked if he feels "elbowed out" by the Chancellor, Mr Johnson responded: "That's a question you might ask him." He added: "It's a very clear signal to China of the strong commitment at every level of government to building the relationship. It's very good news. He played down concerns that companies like Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, could use their investment in Britain for spying. "I don't have any inhibitions in this area," he said. British exports to China have doubled to £10billion in the past five years, making it the UK's seventh largest market. The resumption of diplomatic relations comes after deals worth £2 billion of Chinese investment were signed in Beijing, including a plan to build the tallest residential tower in Europe on the banks of the Thames in Wandsworth. Asked whether he will raise concerns about human rights during his visit, Mr Johnson said: "I certainly won't be doing anything that's inappropriate, we're out there to sell the city. You want to stick to the matter at hand, that's the most productive thing. Previously, the Chinese had put pressure on the government to apologise for the meeting with the Dalai Lama and to offer undertakings that there would be no further meetings in the future. However, Mr Cameron said that China could not dictate who he was able to meet with. Every British prime minister since John Major has met with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. The thawing in the relationship has been described as "encouraging" by senior sources in the hope that it would lead to further Chinese investment in the UK. Last year, Chinese investment was worth around £8 billion. Beijing has a long record of punishing countries whose leaders meet the Dalai Lama, forcing France to promise in 2009 that it would discuss any future meetings beforehand with Beijing.