Online fast-fashion retailer Shein is aiming to list in London in the first half of the year, Reuters reported on Thursday, assuming it gains regulatory approvals for the initial public offering.

According to Reuters sources, the initial public offering, which could be worth as much as £50 billion, could be completed as early as Easter.

A visit to China by UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves starting on Saturday, during which she will meet with Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss economic and financial cooperation, could help progress the regulatory approvals Shein needs, Reuters suggested.

The head of Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority, which is in charge of assessing and approving flotations like Shein’s IPO, is accompanying Reeves on the trip to Beijing and Shanghai and will meet with regulatory partners there.

Reuters said Shein, founded in China in 2012, is working towards listing in the first half of this year, but the definitive timeline is still in flux.

The London listing push comes after the company ended its attempt at a US IPO after pushback from lawmakers concerned about risks connected to China and alleged labour malpractices.

On Tuesday, UK politicians on the Business and Trade Committee criticised the firm after a Shein lawyer refused to answer questions over the risk of forced labour in its cotton supply chain.

The company has faced allegations that some of the clothes it sells contain cotton sourced from the north-western region of Xinjiang, where China has been accused of subjecting members of the Uyghur minority group to forced labour and genocide.

MPs grew frustrated as Yinan Zhu, EMEA general counsel at Shein repeatedly declined to answer inquiries over the company’s cotton supply chain and potentially listing its shares on the London Stock Exchange.

Liam Byrne, who chairs the committee, said: ‘For a company that sells a billion pounds to UK consumers and which is seeking to float on the London Stock Exchange, the committee has been pretty horrified by the lack of evidence you have provided.

‘You have given us almost zero confidence in the integrity of your supply chains, you can’t even tell us what your products are made from, you can’t tell us much about the conditions which workers have to work in.

‘The reluctance to answer basic questions has frankly bordered on contempt of the committee.’

Zhu said: ‘For detailed operational information and other aspects, I am not able to assist. I will have to write back to the committee afterwards.’

She later added: ‘Obviously we comply with laws and regulations everywhere we do business in the world. And we have supplier code of conducts, we have robust systems and procedures in place and policies in place.

‘We also have very strong enforcement measures in place to ensure we adhere to these standards that are expected in our supply chain.’

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