British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday said the UK has a “huge amount to offer” China, pressing ahead with efforts to strengthen bilateral ties despite cautionary remarks from US President Donald Trump.
Starmer’s visit marks the first trip to China by a British prime minister in eight years. The tour comes as several Western leaders seek steadier relations with Beijing amid growing uncertainty surrounding the US’ foreign policy stance.
In recent weeks, leaders from France, Canada and Finland have travelled to Beijing, reacting to Trump’s proposal to seize Greenland and his threats of tariffs against NATO allies.
Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump warned Britain about expanding economic cooperation with China, saying it was “very dangerous for them to do that”.
During his visit, Starmer held meetings on Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation.
Addressing British and Chinese business representatives at the UK-China Business Forum held at the Bank of China on Friday morning, Starmer said discussions had been positive and productive.
The two sides had “warmly engaged” and “made some real progress”, he said. “The UK has got a huge amount to offer,” he said in a short speech. He added that Thursday’s meetings delivered “just the level of engagement that we hoped for”.
Starmer also signed several agreements during the visit. Among them, Beijing introduced visa-free entry for British passport holders travelling to China for less than 30 days. He described the deals as “symbolic of what we’re doing with the relationship”.
Later in the day, Starmer is scheduled to visit Shanghai, China’s financial hub, before continuing his Asia tour with a brief stop in Japan to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Visas and trade cooperation
The new visa arrangement places Britain alongside around 50 countries that already enjoy visa-free access to China, including France, Germany, Australia and Japan. China reached a similar agreement with Canada on January.
The signed agreements also cover joint efforts to tackle supply chains used by migrant smugglers, expand British exports to China, cooperate on health matters and strengthen the UK-China trade commission.
Irregular migration remains a politically sensitive issue for Starmer. He has pledged to crack down on people-smuggling networks and curb rising arrivals, an issue that has contributed to growing far-right support.
Downing Street said China would also cut tariffs on British whisky to five percent from 10 percent.
During their meeting on Thursday, Xi told Starmer that both countries should enhance dialogue and cooperation in what he described as a “complex and intertwined” global environment.
Relations between London and Beijing weakened after 2020, when China imposed a national security law in Hong Kong and took action against pro-democracy activists in the former British territory.
Despite the tensions, China remains Britain’s third-largest trading partner and the world’s second-largest economy. Starmer hopes closer economic cooperation with Beijing will support his main objective of accelerating UK growth.
British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced on Thursday that it would invest $15 billion in China by 2030 to expand its manufacturing and research operations. Chief executive Pascal Soriot joined a delegation of about 60 business leaders accompanying Starmer on the trip.
