LONDON, Jan 28 — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will arrive in Beijing this evening for a visit aimed at strengthening political and business ties with China as relations between Western countries and the US 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 tomorrow 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 US

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 US-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 US

“The relationship we have with the US 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.

Starmer distances himself from Carney comments

Starmer repeatedly defended his decision to visit China, saying it would help him deliver on his plan to drive economic growth and improve living standards in Britain.

But his strategy has drawn fierce criticism from some British and US politicians who say he is underestimating the security threats posed by China.

Starmer distanced himself from comments made by Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week when he said the rules-based global order was a thing of the past and called on the world’s ⁠middle powers to work together to avoid being victimised by American hegemony.

“I’m a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense,” Starmer said, rejecting the idea that his government must choose between the US and Europe. — Reuters