Keir Starmer In China: What To Expect From The First Visit By A UK PM In Eight Years

Keir Starmer In China: What To Expect From The First Visit By A UK PM In Eight Years

The United Kingdom's relationship with China has been defined by extreme swings over the past decade, shifting from the high-profile “golden era" of warmth and investment promises to a period of intense suspicion driven by security fears, political divergences and economic disappointment.

Against this turbulent backdrop, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China — the first by a British leader in eight years — marks a significant recalibration at a moment when both countries are trying to stabilise a complicated, mistrust-laden relationship. Starmer is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Accompanying him is a delegation of around 60 British business and cultural leaders, including representatives from HSBC, GSK, Jaguar Land Rover and the National Theatre.

Beijing has described the visit as an opportunity to “open a new chapter of health and stable development in UK-China relations," signalling its readiness to re-engage after years of stalled diplomacy.

Starmer arrives in China balancing competing imperatives. He wants to boost economic ties and revive communication channels weakened by years of political strain, yet he must not lose sight of the security concerns that have dominated Britain's approach to China since 2020. His trip also comes amid a shifting global environment, where uncertainty in the United States under President Donald Trump has led several Western leaders to reassess their strategic calculations.

For the UK, the dilemma is whether it can pursue pragmatic ties with China without compromising national security or core political values.

Where Do Relations Stand Ahead Of The Visit?

Just a decade ago, London and Beijing celebrated what they openly called a “golden era" of cooperation. The high point came in 2015 when then–prime minister David Cameron hosted Xi Jinping for a visit filled with symbolism, including a much-publicised drink together in a British pub. Britain hoped to position itself as China's preferred economic gateway to Europe, while Beijing saw the UK as a stable and lucrative partner inside the Western economic order.

The optimism did not last. Relations deteriorated sharply after Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 and launched a sweeping crackdown on pro-democracy activists in the former British colony. Human rights concerns, allegations of spying and cyber intrusion, and China's perceived support for Russia's war in Ukraine further strained ties.

The decline in political trust coincided with weakening economic ties. UK exports to China fell 52.6 per cent year-on-year in 2025, according to British government statistics.

Security concerns were amplified by the Huawei controversy. For many years, the UK operated an unusual oversight arrangement known as “The Cell," a Huawei-funded facility staffed by British cybersecurity experts with the highest levels of security clearance. Their task was to scrutinise Huawei's hardware and software for vulnerabilities. Despite this close monitoring, a parliamentary inquiry concluded in 2020 that there was “clear evidence of collusion" between Huawei and the “Chinese Communist Party apparatus." This finding accelerated the UK's decision to ban Huawei from its 5G networks and order the removal of installed equipment by next year.

Warnings from the British intelligence community added to the unease. Ken McCallum, the head of the domestic spy service MI5, said in October last year that “Chinese state actors present a UK national security threat… every day." A 2023 government review described China as an “epoch-defining challenge," underlining how entrenched the security lens had become in British policy.

Against this backdrop, the challenge for Starmer is not simply to restart dialogue but to reposition a deeply frayed relationship without appearing to overlook its risks.

Why Is Starmer Visiting Now?

Keir Starmer has signalled since taking office that he wants to put relations with China on a firmer and more consistent footing. His government commissioned an audit of what it called Britain's “most complex bilateral relationship," but when the findings were finally presented, then–foreign secretary David Lammy told Parliament in June that “much of the audit was conducted at a high classification and most of the detail is not disclosable without damaging our national interests." The lack of clarity left lawmakers unsure about the specific direction of the government's approach.

A tentative thaw began after Starmer held a private meeting with Xi Jinping in Brazil, where he said Britain would look to cooperate with China on issues such as climate change. However, his visit to Beijing was held up for months by a domestic dispute over China's plans to build a vast new embassy in London. The site drew opposition over fears it could be used for espionage or to pressure rights activists.

The plan was repeatedly stalled before being approved on Tuesday, with the UK government saying intelligence agencies had arrangements to “manage any risks." The approval removed the final procedural obstacle and allowed Beijing to extend a formal invitation for Starmer's visit.

Starmer's engagement with China is also shaped by Britain's uneasy relationship with the US under Trump. A series of disruptive moves, including Trump's attempt to seize Greenland and his brief threat of tariffs on the UK and other NATO allies, has unsettled London's traditional assumptions about Washington's reliability.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Starmer said he would not be forced to “choose" between relations with the United States or China and added that “sticking your head in the sand and ignoring China… wouldn't be sensible."

With Trump increasingly tearing apart the global order, “China might not be an ally, but it is also not an enemy", Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London, told AFP.

Beijing, too, has expressed optimism. Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the visit is an opportunity to “deepen practical cooperation with the UK," projecting confidence that ties can be stabilised.

What Does Beijing Want From The Visit?

China is eager to demonstrate that it can rebuild constructive ties with major Western economies. The visit follows a wave of diplomatic outreach to Beijing by other leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron in December and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this month. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to visit in February.

Beijing's messaging around Starmer's visit suggests a desire to revive economic corridors, restart suspended dialogues and recast the UK as a partner willing to engage without ideological posturing.

British public sentiment is also shifting. A YouGov poll found that the share of Britons who view China as either a “friend and ally" or a “friendly rival" rose from 19 per cent in October to 27 per cent, indicating a tentative softening in attitudes.

Beijing now sees an opening to rebuild trust, not a return to the extravagance of the “golden era," but a more grounded partnership based on selective cooperation.

What's On The Table?

Starmer is accompanied by leading British industry executives aiming to revitalise the UK–China CEO Council. Created in 2018, the council brought together major business figures from both countries but had effectively gone dormant as relations deteriorated. Its revival is one of the clearest signals that London hopes to restore commercial channels even while acknowledging significant geopolitical risks.

Human rights will inevitably feature in the discussions. Starmer is expected to raise the case of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media figure and British citizen convicted of collusion charges in December under the national security law.

Both sides are also likely to address broader global issues. Discussions on Ukraine will be significant, given that Beijing's close economic relationship with Moscow has led to accusations that China is indirectly enabling Russia's campaign. Areas such as climate cooperation and people-to-people exchanges may present opportunities for progress, though expectations remain limited.

Jinghan Zeng, an international relations scholar at City University of Hong Kong, described the visit as a move toward “managed re-engagement rather than renewed strategic trust." He said that while advances could be made in climate change, trade and cultural exchanges, “concrete outcomes will probably be modest."

What Can Britain Realistically Expect?

Starmer's visit represents a symbolic but careful attempt to stabilise a relationship defined by mistrust, mixed expectations and conflicting pressures. The aim is not to revive the exuberant promises of the “golden era" but to establish a structured, sustainable mode of engagement that acknowledges both opportunities and risks.

Source: News18
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