Keir Starmer’s arrival in Beijing, the first by a UK leader in eight years, signals a bid to reset ties with China as Britain seeks economic opportunities while managing volatile relations with the United States
British Prime Minister
Keir Starmer will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for an official visit aimed at strengthening political and business ties with China. The trip comes at a time of heightened global diplomacy and increasingly volatile Western relations with the United States.
Speaking on the plane to
China during the first visit by a British leader since 2018, Starmer said Britain could not ignore the economic opportunities offered by China, the world’s second-largest economy, but stressed the need to remain alert to potential security risks.
“It doesn’t make sense to stick our head in the ground and bury it in the sand when it comes to China, it’s in our interests to engage,” he said. “It’s going to be a really important trip for us and we’ll make some real progress.”
Meetings planned with Chinese leadership and executives
Travelling with a delegation of more than 50 business leaders, Starmer is scheduled to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday before heading to Shanghai on Friday for discussions with local executives.
The visit could signal a significant change in relations between Britain and China after years of tension over Beijing’s crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong, China’s backing of Russia in the Ukraine war, and allegations by British security services that China regularly spies on politicians and officials.
For China, the visit provides an opportunity to present itself as a stable and dependable partner during a period of global uncertainty.
Tensions with Trump cast shadow over the trip
The visit comes amid increased diplomatic activity between Western nations and China as countries seek to manage the unpredictability of the US.
Starmer’s trip follows weeks of tension with Trump over threats to seize Greenland, criticism of Britain’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago — including an island hosting a key US–UK air base — to Mauritius, and remarks suggesting NATO allies avoided frontline combat during the war in Afghanistan.
He is arriving days after Trump threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian goods if that country’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, signed a trade deal with China.
Starmer said Britain could expand economic ties with China without damaging relations with Trump, citing the depth of the UK–US partnership.
“The relationship we have with the U.S. is one of the closest relationships we hold, on defence, security, intelligence and also on trade and lots of areas,” he said.
Starmer declined to detail his agenda with Chinese leaders, including whether he would raise the case of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media tycoon convicted in December of national security crimes, or ask China to pressure Russia to end the Ukraine war.
Asked about the possibility of expanding visa-free travel between Britain and China, he said he hoped to make some “progress”.
Starmer responds to criticism
Starmer repeatedly defended the decision to visit China, saying the trip would support his plan to drive economic growth and improve living standards in Britain.
However, the approach has drawn strong criticism from some British and US politicians who argue that he is underestimating security risks linked to China.
He also distanced himself from comments made by Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Carney said the rules-based global order was over and urged middle powers to cooperate to avoid being dominated by American hegemony.
“I’m a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense,” Starmer said, rejecting suggestions that his government must choose between the US and Europe.
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