&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump pushing UK towards China: Keir Starmer lands in Beijing as UK reconsiders China ties")
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has landed in Beijing amid a turbulent period in the economic and international relations. It is the first trip by a UK Prime Minister to China since 2018. Even though the US rhetoric has been strong towards China, some of their action has been arguably senile; it has become an increasingly unreliable ally to the Britons. Starmer arrived in China with 60 business leaders and cultural organisations, including representatives from HSBC, GSK, Jaguar Land Rover and the National Theatre. Stramer took office 18 months ago with promises to accelerate the stagnating UK economy and to improve the relationship with China, but had a dismal performance. This trip comes just days after US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney make a trade deal with China.
Trump is pushing the UK towards China
Starmer's visit to China comes after the 2018 visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May, who vowed to restore the “golden era” of Chinese-British relations. There had been a significant amount of colonial hangover and sinophobia, and a good example of that is the reluctance to allow China build an embassy in London. The plan was stalled for a long time before being approved on January 20.
There is a hysteria in the mainstream media in the UK about Chinese spying since 2020, even after several reports about the Mossad trying to bug Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel, and very little evidence of Chinese spying. Moreover, China’s perceived support for Russia’s war in Ukraine further strained ties. These had driven the policies of the European nations towards China, with concerns about Chinese investment in infrastructure and communication. UK exports to China fell 52.6 per cent year-on-year in 2025.
But Keir Starmer and the UK have started to realise that it is imperative to shift towards China if not completely, but as a leverage, with an increasing threat to peace and stability from the US. Trump is leaving the Europeans with no choice; he continues to disrespect them, wants to annex Greenland and threatens them with tariffs. The US, being the dominant hegemon, wants to use its allies as resource colonies. Trump openly called the Canadian Prime Minister the Governor of Canada. It is either now that Europe pivots towards China or in two years. The UK now wants to boost economic and communication relations with China. China may not be an ally, but neither will it be an enemy, said Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, to AFP.
Starmer, in an interview with Bloomberg, said that he would not be forced to choose between the US and China. He further added that “sticking your head in the sand and ignoring China… wouldn’t be sensible." China wants to show that it can be a reliable partner. With the beginning of 2026, China has already hosted Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
