Trump warns UK it is “very dangerous” to pursue closer China ties.
Starmer secures lower tariffs, investment deals, and improved market access in Beijing.
UK aims to balance economic relations with China while maintaining strong US ties.
US President Donald Trump has cautioned the United Kingdom that closer economic ties with China are “very dangerous”, just hours after Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed progress during a visit to Beijing.
Starmer, the first British prime minister to travel to the Chinese capital in eight years, met Xi Jinping for three hours at the Great Hall of the People, promising a “more sophisticated” relationship with China and securing improved market access, lower tariffs, and investment deals. According to The Guardian, the visit marked a thaw in previously strained relations.
Speaking in Washington about Starmer’s engagement with Beijing, Trump said: “Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that.” His comments are likely to create concern in Downing Street, given Trump’s unpredictability and long-standing hostility towards China. One UK official told The Guardian that the US had been aware of the trip and the country’s objectives in advance.
After his meeting with Xi, Starmer said the UK’s relationship with China was in a “good, strong place” and that his talks had delivered “just the level of engagement that we hoped for”. Addressing the UK-China Business Forum at the Bank of China, he added: “We warmly engaged and made some real progress, actually, because the UK has got a huge amount to offer.”
Chris Torrens, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, described Starmer’s visit as “successful”, telling the BBC: “It makes sense for UK to be looking to China, it’s one of its larger trading partners.” Starmer is scheduled to travel to Shanghai before leaving for Tokyo to meet Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi for a working dinner.
The Guardian reported that Starmer’s trip follows visits by several western leaders seeking to strengthen ties with the world’s second-largest economy while hedging against the unpredictability of the US president. Trump’s recent actions—including threats of trade tariffs and his pledge to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark—have unsettled longstanding allies.
Earlier this week, Trump warned Canada over economic deals with China, saying: “Even more dangerous, I think, for Canada. Canada is not doing well. They’re doing very poorly, and you can’t look at China as the answer.”
Trump also noted his personal rapport with Xi, saying: “President Xi is a friend of mine, I know him very well.” The US president is expected to visit Beijing himself in April; the United States remains China’s largest single trading partner.
Before departing for Beijing, Starmer told Bloomberg that Britain would not have to choose between the US and China, asserting that the country could deepen economic relations with China without harming ties with Washington. “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.
Meanwhile, US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick expressed scepticism about Starmer’s efforts with China. “The Chinese are the greatest exporters and they are very, very difficult when you’re trying to export to them,” he told reporters. “So good luck if the British are trying to export to China ... it’s just unlikely.” He downplayed the risk of Trump imposing tariffs on the UK, adding: “Unless the prime minister of Britain sort of takes on the United States and says very difficult things, I doubt it.”
The Guardian reported that Starmer’s visit comes amid a broader push by western nations to strengthen engagement with Beijing, even as they navigate an unpredictable US foreign policy.
(With inputs from The Guardian)
