Donald Trump has warned the United Kingdom against pursuing closer business ties with China, hours after Keir Starmer hailed the economic relationship during a landmark visit to Beijing. The US president said it was 'very dangerous' for the UK to do business with the rival superpower, as the Prime Minister held three hours of talks with Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People.
Starmer, the first British prime minister to visit China in eight years, promised a 'more sophisticated' relationship and said the UK had secured improved market access, lower tariffs and investment deals. He described the relationship as being in a 'good, strong place' and told the UK-China Business Forum that the meetings had provided 'just the level of engagement we hoped for'. He later travelled to Shanghai before heading to Tokyo for a working dinner with Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
Responding to Trump's remarks, Starmer said it was not wise for the UK to 'stick its head in the sand', noting that China is the world's second-largest economy and the UK's third-largest trading partner alongside Hong Kong. The trade minister, Chris Bryant, said Trump was wrong, pointing out that Trump has described President Xi as a friend and is due to visit China in April. A UK official said the US had been aware of the trip and its objectives in advance.
The visit has been described as successful by Chris Torrens, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, who said it made sense for the UK to engage with one of its larger trading partners. Starmer is the latest western leader to visit Beijing in recent weeks, seeking to build ties with the world's second-largest economy while hedging against an unpredictable US president, who has threatened tariffs and pledged to take control of Greenland, rattling longstanding allies.
Trump also said it was 'even more dangerous' for Canada to look to China as the answer, after its prime minister, Mark Carney, visited Beijing. However, he added that President Xi is a friend. Earlier, the US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, said it was unlikely Starmer's efforts would pay off, describing the Chinese as 'very, very difficult' when trying to export to them. He played down the prospect of Trump imposing tariffs on the UK as he did on Canada.
