UK PM Keir Starmer pursues closer economic and diplomatic relations with China, signing visa and trade deals, despite caution from US President Trump.
BEIJING: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK has a “huge amount to offer” China as he seeks to bolster ties, despite a warning from US President Donald Trump.
Starmer’s visit is the first by a UK prime minister in eight years and follows similar trips by other Western leaders. He met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday.
“The UK has got a huge amount to offer,” Starmer told a business forum on Friday. He said the previous day’s meetings provided “just the level of engagement that we hoped for”.
The two sides signed several agreements, including a new visa-waiver for British tourists. China also agreed to cut tariffs on British whisky imports from 10% to 5%.
Trump had earlier warned Britain against “getting into business” with China, calling it “very dangerous”. Starmer’s trip is seen as part of a Western effort to counter an increasingly volatile United States.
Other deals focused on cooperation against migrant smugglers’ supply chains and strengthening a bilateral trade commission. Starmer has pledged to crack down on people smuggling, a sensitive domestic issue.
President Xi told Starmer that both nations should strengthen dialogue amid a “complex” international situation. Relations had cooled after Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.
China remains Britain’s third-largest trading partner. Starmer hopes the deals will help boost UK economic growth, his primary goal.
British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced a USD 15 billion investment plan in China through 2030. Its CEO was part of a 60-strong business delegation accompanying Starmer.
The new visa deal aligns the UK with about 50 other countries granted similar access to China. Starmer will travel to Shanghai before a brief stop in Japan.
