Starmer starts China trip to mend ties while weighing spying and security

Summary

Starmer began his four-day trip to China on Wednesday in Beijing, positioning it as an effort to repair ties with an Asian superpower while also addressing national-security concerns. The U.K. prime minister told reporters on his plane that Britain does not have to choose between relationships with the United States and China, as he arrived in the capital late in the afternoon. He said he would balance engagement with China with national security concerns and described his approach as pragmatic. “I’m a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense,” Starmer said.

The trip puts a fresh emphasis on diplomacy and economic access at a time when UK-China relations have been strained by intelligence and political disputes. The relationship deteriorated in the intervening years after growing concern about Chinese espionage, Beijing’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war, and its crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, the former British colony. While those issues remain, the AP reported that both sides are emphasizing the need to manage differences while looking for common ground.

Starmer’s business agenda centers on expanding opportunities for British companies in China’s second-largest economy. The visit is led by Starmer along with a delegation of more than 50 British business leaders, including executives from British Airways, HSBC bank and Jaguar Land Rover. The agenda includes Shanghai as well as meetings in Beijing with Xi and other Chinese leaders.

In remarks to the business and culture delegation, Starmer said they were “making history,” and he argued that engagement with China serves Britain’s national interest. He said it would create “huge opportunities,” while adding that “we will have to manage our differences.” The AP also reported that China had a large goods trade surplus with the U.K. in 2025, while the U.K. had a trade surplus in services.

The visit also takes place against the backdrop of U.S. trade disruption under President Donald Trump, which has pushed multiple governments to seek diversification beyond the United States. The AP said that both Britain and China have been affected by Trump’s tariffs and are looking to expand trade and investment as part of efforts to diversify overseas markets and industrial supply chains. It noted that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney traveled to China earlier this month with similar goals, and that Canadian officials have said they do not intend to pursue a free trade deal with Beijing.

Even as governments seek new commercial links, the AP reported that the approach carries risks tied to tariff threats and retaliation scenarios. It said Trump threatened a 100% tariff on Canada if Canada reached a trade deal with China, prompting a swift response from Carney. The AP reported that Canada and China have a preliminary agreement to cut tariffs on electric vehicles and farm goods, but that Canada said it has no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with Beijing.

National security and surveillance concerns remain central to the relationship Starmer is trying to rebalance. The AP reported that concerns about Chinese spying and surveillance have risen sharply in recent years across multiple countries and have complicated trade and relations. It said the U.K. has barred Chinese investment in sensitive telecoms infrastructure and has squeezed China out of investment in new nuclear power plants, and that Starmer’s government says it will protect national security while keeping diplomatic dialogue and economic cooperation.

The AP reported that the U.K. recently approved plans for a large Chinese embassy in London, removing a sticking point in relations but also drawing criticism from opponents who argued it would make it easier for China to conduct espionage and intimidate dissidents. On human-rights issues—an area where Western leaders often face pressure to raise concerns—the AP said the U.K. faces a particular flashpoint because of its historical ties to Hong Kong.

Starmer’s visit comes less than two months after a Hong Kong court convicted Jimmy Lai, a former newspaper publisher and a British citizen, under a national security law that Beijing imposed after the 2019 pro-democracy protests. The AP reported that Chris Patten, who was governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997, said Starmer should be firm in raising disagreements over Lai’s imprisonment and other human rights issues.

The trip also intersects with U.S. politics through a separate dispute in which Trump has criticized the U.K.’s plans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The AP reported that Starmer faces opposition from Trump over the Chagos deal, and that Trump called it an “act of great stupidity” even as his administration welcomed it after it was agreed in May. On his way to Beijing, Starmer told reporters that the U.S. intelligence agencies reviewed the deal in detail and “concluded that it was a deal they wanted to support, did support and did so in very clear terms,” according to the AP report.