Keir Starmer began the first visit to China by a British Prime Minister since 2018 on Wednesday, seeking to strengthen political and business ties with Beijing as relations between Western countries and the U.S. become more volatile.
– “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 told. “It’s going to be a really important trip for us and we’ll make some real progress.”
– Travelling with a delegation of more than 50 business leaders, Mr. Starmer will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday (January 29, 2026) before travelling to Shanghai on Friday (January 30, 2026) for talks with local executives.
– The visit could mark a shift in ties between Britain and China after years of deep acrimony over Beijing’s crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong, China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and allegations by British security services that China regularly spies on politicians and officials.
– For China, the visit offers the country a chance to portray itself as a stable and reliable partner at a time of global disorder.
– Mr. Starmer’s trip follows tensions with Trump over his threats to seize Greenland, his criticism of Britain’s deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelagom — including an island with a U.S.-UK air base — to Mauritius, and his comments that NATO allies avoided front-line combat during the war in Afghanistan.
– On Saturday, Mr. Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if that country’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, signed a trade deal with China.
– The U.K. leader insisted Britain could continue to strengthen economic ties with China — without angering Trump — because of his country’s long history of working closely with the United States.
– “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.
– Asked if Britain and China could strike a deal that would allow more visa-free travel, Mr. Starmer said he hoped to make some “progress” in that area.
– “I’m a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense,” Mr. Starmer said, rejecting the idea that his government must choose between the U.S. and Europe.