Britain's Starmer heads to China as Western alliances face strain
1/28/2026 9:12:00 AM
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for a visit aimed at strengthening political and business ties with China as relations between Western countries and the U.S. become more volatile.
On the plane to China for the first visit by a British leader since 2018, Starmer said the country cannot afford to ignore the economic opportunities presented by China, the world's second-largest economy, while it must remain vigilant about potential security threats.
"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."
Travelling with a delegation of more than 50 business leaders, Starmer will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday before travelling to Shanghai on Friday for talks with local executives.
The visit could mark a critical 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.
TENSIONS WITH TRUMP SHADOW STARMER'S TRIP
The trip comes at a time when there is a flurry of diplomacy between Western countries and China as they hedge against the unpredictability of the U.S.
Starmer's trip follows weeks of tensions with Trump over his threats to seize Greenland, his criticism of Britain's deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago - including an island with an important U.S.-UK air base - to Mauritius, and his comments that NATO allies avoided front-line combat during the war in Afghanistan.
Starmer will arrive just days after Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if that country's prime minister, Mark Carney, signed a trade deal with China.
But Starmer 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 U.S.
"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 was reluctant to be drawn on what he would discuss with Chinese leaders, or if he would bring up the fate of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media tycoon who was convicted in December of national security crimes. He also declined to say whether he would ask China to pressure Russia to end the Ukraine war.
Asked if Britain and China could strike a deal that would allow more visa-free travel, Starmer said he hoped to make some "progress" in that area.
On the plane to China for the first visit by a British leader since 2018, Starmer said the country cannot afford to ignore the economic opportunities presented by China, the world's second-largest economy, while it must remain vigilant about potential security threats.
"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."
Travelling with a delegation of more than 50 business leaders, Starmer will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday before travelling to Shanghai on Friday for talks with local executives.
The visit could mark a critical 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.
TENSIONS WITH TRUMP SHADOW STARMER'S TRIP
The trip comes at a time when there is a flurry of diplomacy between Western countries and China as they hedge against the unpredictability of the U.S.
Starmer's trip follows weeks of tensions with Trump over his threats to seize Greenland, his criticism of Britain's deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago - including an island with an important U.S.-UK air base - to Mauritius, and his comments that NATO allies avoided front-line combat during the war in Afghanistan.
Starmer will arrive just days after Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if that country's prime minister, Mark Carney, signed a trade deal with China.
But Starmer 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 U.S.
"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 was reluctant to be drawn on what he would discuss with Chinese leaders, or if he would bring up the fate of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media tycoon who was convicted in December of national security crimes. He also declined to say whether he would ask China to pressure Russia to end the Ukraine war.
Asked if Britain and China could strike a deal that would allow more visa-free travel, Starmer said he hoped to make some "progress" in that area.