U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Britain against doing business with Beijing. His comments came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer highlighted the economic benefits of resetting relations with China during a visit on Friday (30 January).
As Western leaders reel from Trump's unpredictability, Starmer is the latest to head to China.
In three-hour talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday (29 January), the British leader called for a "more sophisticated relationship" with improved market access, lower tariffs and investment deals.
In Washington, however, replying to questions about the closer ties, Trump said, "Well, it's very dangerous for them to do that."
Trump, who plans to travel to China in April, threatened last week to impose tariffs on Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney struck economic deals with Beijing on a recent visit.
A Downing Street spokesperson and China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Around the time of Trump's comments, Starmer told a meeting of the UK-China Business Forum in the Chinese capital that his "very warm" meetings with Xi had provided "just the level of engagement that we hoped for".
He added, "We warmly engaged and made some real progress, actually, because the UK has got a huge amount to offer."
Starmer hailed deals on visa-free travel and lower whisky tariffs as "really important access, symbolic of what we're doing with the relationship".
"That is the way that we build the mutual trust and respect that is so important," Starmer said.
Starmer, whose centre-left Labour government has struggled to deliver the economic growth it promised, has made improving relations with the world's second-largest economy a priority.
His visit to China comes amid Trump's on-off threats of trade tariffs and pledges to grab control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, which have rattled long-standing U.S. allies, Britain among them.
Because of his country's long history of working closely with the United States, Britain could continue to strengthen economic ties with China without angering Trump, Starmer told reporters on the airplane en route to China.
"The relationship we have with the United States is one of the closest ... we hold," he said, enumerating areas such as defence, security, intelligence and trade.
Starmer said Britain would not have to choose between closer ties with the United States or China, highlighting Trump’s September visit to Britain that unveiled £150 billion of U.S investment in to the country.
Starmer, who normally avoids criticising Trump, has been more much willing to defy the U.S. president in recent weeks.
He urged Trump to apologise for his "frankly appalling" remarks last week that some NATO troops avoided frontline combat and said he would not yield to his demands to annex Greenland.
In addition to Carney, French President Emmanuel Macron visited China in December, when Xi accompanied him on a rare trip outside the capital. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to travel to China soon.
Before Trump's Thursday comments on the closer ties, his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said it was unlikely that Starmer's efforts with China would pay off.
"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," Lutnick added.
Asked if Trump would threaten Britain with tariffs as he did Canada, Lutnick said, "I think Canada played things a little differently.
"They said there are two powers of the world, and we're going to select which one we want to trade with, and things like that.
"Unless the prime minister of Britain sort of takes on the United States and says very difficult things, I doubt it," Lutnick added.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 30th of January, covering the latest developments you need to ...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (29 January) he planned to speak with Iran, as the United States dispatched another warship to the Middle...
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Britain against doing business with Beijing. His comments came as Prime Minister Keir Starmer highlighted the e...
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba on Thursday (29 January), as Washington ramps up pressure on the ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to refrain from striking Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week due to cold winter weather, U.S. Presi...
China agreed to relax rules to allow some visa-free travel for British citizens on Thursday (29 January) during a visit by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Beijing. It's part of a partnership deal which Westminster hopes will help expand its service sector.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 24th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday praised “brave” British soldiers and hailed their sacrifice in Afghanistan, a day after his remarks suggesting NATO forces stayed away from the front lines sparked anger in Britain and across Europe.
China's proposed embassy in the UK would be built near the Tower of London and cover about 600,000 square feet, according to planning documents, making it one of the largest diplomatic missions in the world.
Liverpool confirmed direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a 6-0 win over Qarabağ at Anfield in their final league-phase match. Despite the setback, Qarabağ secured a play-off spot, with results elsewhere going in the Azerbaijani champions’ favour on the final matchday.
China is supplying key industrial equipment that has enabled Russia to speed up production of its newest nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, an investigation by The Telegraph has found, heightening concerns in Europe over Moscow’s ability to threaten the West despite international sanctions.
Storm Kristin has killed at least five people and left more than 850,000 residents of central and northern Portugal without electricity on Wednesday (28 January), as it toppled trees, damaged homes, and disrupted road and rail traffic before moving inland to Spain.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to assist in rebuilding Syria’s war-damaged economy as the country's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa made his second visit to Moscow in less than four months on Wednesday (28 January).
“This is a strategic wake-up call for all of Europe” French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Wednesday, 28 January, as he hosted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, in Paris to reaffirm France’s support for Greenland’s sovereignty.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 30th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba on Thursday (29 January), as Washington ramps up pressure on the Caribbean nation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to refrain from striking Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week due to cold winter weather, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (29 January).
The European Commission has announced €153 million ($183 million) in emergency aid for Ukraine, alongside €8 million ($9.5 million) to support Moldova, which hosts large numbers of Ukrainian refugees.
Burkina Faso’s military-led government has dissolved all political parties and ordered their assets transferred to the state under a decree adopted by the authorities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment