Starmer Heads to China, Seeks Relations01/27 06:09

   

   LONDON (AP) -- U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is heading to China, seeking 
a thaw in relations with Beijing at a time of strained ties with the United 
States.

   He's hoping for an economic boost to Britain, but risks the wrath of China 
hawks at home -- and of U.S. President Donald Trump, who's already heaping 
tariffs and criticism on America's closest allies.

   Starmer is due to meet China's President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang 
during the visit to Beijing and Shanghai that starts Wednesday, the first by a 
U.K. leader since 2018. He is expected to be accompanied by Business Secretary 
Peter Kyle and dozens of corporate chiefs as Britain seeks Chinese technology 
and investment, alongside greater access to the world's second-largest economy 
for U.K. financial services, cars and Scotch whisky.

   "China is no longer just the world's factory; it is also becoming a global 
market," said Zhao Minghao, a professor in the Institute of International 
Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University.

   The key word stressed by both sides is "pragmatic." As Trump roils the world 
order, both London and Beijing are looking for a more stable relationship.

   China's government said it sees the visit as an opportunity to enhance 
political trust and deepen "pragmatic cooperation."

   "In the current complex and volatile international situation, it is in the 
common interest of both peoples of China and the U.K., as permanent members of 
the U.N. Security Council, to maintain communication and strengthen 
cooperation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Tuesday at 
a daily briefing in Beijing.

   From golden era to big chill

   Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King's College London, 
said the trip comes as dramatic shifts in geopolitics create new opportunities 
for U.K.-Chinese relations.

   But he said "Starmer is going to be talking to a very skeptical audience.

   "Britain has not been very consistent in its relations with China. We have 
been very hot and cold," Brown said.

   The relationship has soured since the short-lived "golden era" proclaimed in 
2015 by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, who took Xi to a traditional 
English pub during a state visit. Beijing's crackdown on civil liberties in 
Hong Kong, China's support for Russia in the Ukraine war and growing concern 
about espionage and economic interference have widened the gap between London 
and Beijing.

   Cameron's Conservative successors barred Chinese investment in sensitive 
telecoms infrastructure and squeezed China out of investment in new U.K. 
nuclear power plants.

   Starmer's center-left Labour Party government carried out a review of 
relations with Beijing after it was elected 18 months ago. It says its approach 
is one of hard-headed pragmatism -- protecting national security from Chinese 
espionage and interference while keeping up diplomatic dialogue and economic 
cooperation with the Asian superpower.

   Both Britain's economy -- the world's sixth largest -- and Starmer's 
popularity could use a boost.

   His government has struggled to deliver the economic growth it promised and 
ease a cost-of-living crisis for millions of households. Labour lags behind 
hard-right Reform UK in opinion polls, and nervous Labour lawmakers openly mull 
whether it would be better to ditch Starmer for a more charismatic leader, such 
as Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

   America's allies look to China

   Starmer's visit to China comes as cracks are starting to appear in his 
attempt to strike up a warm relationship with Trump -- efforts rewarded with a 
trade deal that reduced U.S. tariffs on Britain's key auto and aerospace 
industries.

   For months Starmer refrained from public criticism as Trump attacked the 
mayor of London, slammed British immigration policy and sued the BBC for $10 
billion.

   But in recent days, Starmer has spoken out against Trump's desire to take 
over Greenland -- calling it "completely wrong" -- and condemned Trump's 
disparaging comments about the role of U.K. and other NATO troops in 
Afghanistan, which Starmer called "insulting" and "appalling."

   Starmer says Britain does not need to choose between the U.S. and China. But 
he travels to Beijing days after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Next 
month it's the turn of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as some of America's 
strongest allies hedge their bets against the unpredictable Trump.

   Zhao said growing unease among U.S. allies over Washington's recent policy 
moves, including on tariffs, Greenland and the war in Ukraine, "have triggered 
a wave among allies to recalibrate their policies to 'de-risk' from the United 
States."

   But rapprochement with Beijing brings the risk of a rift with Washington. 
Trump has threatened to slap a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods after Carney 
struck a trade deal with China on his trip this month.

   Espionage and human rights concerns

   Starmer's critics say the government is being naive about China's threat to 
Britain's security and weak in the face of pressure from Beijing.

   The trip follows U.K. approval of a 20,000 square-meter (around 215,000 
square-foot) Chinese Embassy near the Tower of London despite strong opposition 
from critics who say the "mega-embassy" will make it easier for China to 
conduct espionage and intimidate dissidents.

   Starmer also faces criticism over an agreement to hand over the Chagos 
Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. The government says the move will 
secure the future of a key U.K.-U.S. military base against legal challenge, but 
critics argue it opens the door to Chinese influence. Last week Trump spoke out 
against the deal, reversing his previous support.

   Human rights are another tricky area. Chris Patten, who was governor of Hong 
Kong from 1992 until the British colony was handed back to China in 1997, said 
Starmer should be firm in raising disagreements over issues including the 
treatment of China's Uyghur minority and the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai, a Hong 
Kong pro-democracy campaigner and British citizen.

   "You have to say with them, without being impolite, exactly what you think," 
Patten said. "They know we're different, but they want to have a reasonable 
relationship with us and, particularly given the state of the world with Trump, 
we should want to have a reasonable relationship with them."

   Brown, from King's College, said Starmer will likely consider his trip a 
success if it secures significant investment and avoids major political 
pitfalls.

   "What they're going to do is basically commit to consistency, a bit more 
predictability," he said. "Friends where we can be friends, otherwise agree to 
disagree."