British PM Starmer Arrives in China, Seeking a Pickup in Trade

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is the latest Western leader to arrive in China seeking to bolster trade and business ties, to counterbalance volatile dealings with the Trump Administration in Washington.

Starmer, who travelled with a delegation of more than 50 business people, has taken a softer outlook toward Beijing than rival politicians at home and abroad, which some critics have described as ‘naive’, particularly in allowing China to set up a giant embassy in central London.

But he has clearly seen a need to try to bolster the sluggish British economy, saying the country should be vigilant about security but take whatever economic opportunities they can get from China.

ALSO SEE: Chip Giant SK Hynix’s Profit Soars, to Invest $10bn in US

Starmer was quoted as telling reporters on the plane to Beijing: “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… [and] going to be a really important trip for us. And we’ll make some real progress.”

The British leader is due to meet with President Xi Jinping and his number two, Premier Li Qiang, on Thursday, and will then head to Shanghai for talks with local business leaders.

Rocky relations

Ties between London and Beijing have been marred by multiple disputes in recent years, most notably the crackdown on Hong Kong after China passed a new security law for the former British outpost in 2021, as well as claims by British security services that China is spying on politicians and launching cyber attacks.

But Starmer’s visit is an opportunity for both sides to bury the hatchet and acknowledge their differences.

The British PM is one of many Western officials visiting Beijing to hedge against geopolitical risks created by the erratic policy flips adopted by US President Donald Trump, such as threats to seize Greenland.

Trump also made a highly offensive claim that NATO troops avoided front-line combat in Afghanistan — a remark Starmer described as “insulting and appalling” given that 457 British personnel died there.

China, meanwhile, appears happy to portray itself as a stable trading partner at a time of considerable global upheaval, despite the fact President Xi Jinping has just sacked his top general Zhang Youxia, a man also described as a former childhood friend.

The move is his most significant in a decade-long campaign to eradicate corruption, which has long plagued the People’s Liberation Army and led to more than 200,000 officials being punished since Xi got the top job in 2012, according to CNN. But some observers suspect it is more likely a bid to win a fourth term in office.

Starmer, meanwhile, has played down the prospect of Trump being angered by his visit, saying that Britain and the US “have one of the closest relationships we hold, on defence, security, intelligence, and also on trade and lots of areas.”