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Paul Seddon,Political reporterand
James Chater
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK cannot afford to ignore the economic opportunities presented by China, as be prepares to become the first British prime minister in eight years to visit Beijing.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Sir Keir said his visit would bring “significant opportunities” for British companies.
He insisted the UK would not be forced to “choose between” China and maintaining close ties to the US, amid rising trade tensions between the two superpowers in recent years.
The UK would maintain “close ties” with the US on business, security and defence, he said, but added that “sticking your head in the sand and ignoring China… wouldn’t be sensible”.
Dozens of UK business leaders are expected to travel with the prime minister on the trip, the first by a British leader since Theresa May visited the country in 2018.
The trip, which includes stops in Beijing and Shanghai, comes after a turbulent few weeks in relations between the US and its allies.
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on allies for opposing his demand to take control of Greenland, and later provoked a backlash in the UK by saying Nato troops had stayed “a little back” from the front line in Afghanistan.
Trump also threatened to slap a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if the country struck a trade deal with China.
The trip comes days after the UK approved plans for a vast new Chinese embassy in London, amid criticism from opposition parties and local residents.
The UK is waiting for its own £100m plan to redevelop the British embassy in Beijing to be approved by China’s authorities.
‘Diplomatic tightrope’
In the interview with Bloomberg, Sir Keir said: “I’m often invited to simply choose between countries. I don’t do that.”
“We’ve got very close relations with the US – of course, we want to – and we will maintain that business, alongside security and defence,” he said.
Of the delegation travelling with him to China, Sir Keir added: “They understand the opportunities that there are… That does not mean compromising on national security – quite the opposite.”
Sir Jeremy Hunt, who also visited China as foreign secretary during 2018, said Sir Keir was right to visit the country but it was important to remain “clear eyed” that China would have the strategic goal to “prize apart” the UK-US relationship.
“There is a real diplomatic tightrope that Keir Starmer has to walk here,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“There will be some benefits of course from more trade with China, but there’s also a huge amount of risk.”
Sir Keir suggested he would bring up disagreements with Beijing on human rights, including the fate of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon found guilty of colluding with foreign forces in December, in a case critics say shows how Hong Kong’s security laws have been used to silence political opposition.
Western governments, including the UK and US, have for years called for Lai’s release, which Beijing and Hong Kong have rejected.
