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Starmer Begins China Visit to Seek Trade Gains and Press Rights Concerns

The trip reflects a hedging strategy shaped by a sharper US focus on itself.

Sir Keir Starmer during a meeting with President Xi Jinping of China, at the the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2024 (Source: Reuters)
TOPSHOT - Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (R) welcomes Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during their bilateral meeting at Chequers, the prime minister's country retreat near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, northwest of London, on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 18: UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping of China, at the Sheraton Hotel, as he attends the G20 summit in on November 18, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Keir Starmer is attending his first G20 Summit since he was elected Prime Minister of the UK. He is expected to hold talks with President Xi Jinping of China, the first time a UK PM has done so for six years. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The conventional wisdom in Westminster is that the local elections in early May remain the key moment that will decide the Prime Minister's fate, but it could already be too late

Overview

  • The prime minister has started a three-day visit to Beijing and Shanghai, the first by a UK leader since 2018, including talks with President Xi Jinping and a banquet hosted by Premier Li Qiang.
  • He is accompanied by senior ministers and a business delegation to pursue targeted commercial and regulatory wins, with aims such as smoother business travel, reduced trade frictions and revived formal business dialogues.
  • Downing Street says he will raise human-rights and security issues, including the case of British citizen Jimmy Lai, the treatment of Uyghur Muslims and concerns over espionage and interference.
  • The visit follows approval for a large new Chinese embassy in London, and ministers have been issued "burner" phones for travel to reduce cybersecurity risk.
  • Calls are growing in Whitehall and politics for deeper EU coordination on trade and defence as the Pentagon’s new strategy signals a narrower US security focus and President Trump’s recent threats unsettle allies.