Keir Starmer is reportedly set to visit China next week, leading a delegation of blue-chip British companies including BP, HSBC, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce. The trip follows the UK government’s approval of a controversial plan for Beijing to build a vast new embassy near the Tower of London.
The same companies are said to be among those joining a revamped UK-China CEO council, originally conceived by Theresa May and Li Keqiang in 2018. Downing Street declined to comment early on Wednesday, but national security adviser Jonathan Powell visited Beijing in November for talks with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.
The path for the visit was cleared last week when communities secretary Steve Reed granted planning permission for the embassy, after spy chiefs confirmed national security risks could be managed. However, local residents have raised £145,000 to challenge the decision, with a judicial review application expected within six weeks.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing had handled the plans in full compliance with international diplomatic practices and relevant laws. The visit also takes place amid a diplomatic crisis over Greenland, with US president Donald Trump claiming the territory must become American to counter a security threat from China and Russia.
The last UK prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018. Chancellor Rachel Reeves travelled there in January, securing £600m in investment, while energy secretary Ed Miliband and trade secretary Peter Kyle have also held talks in Beijing in the past year.
