Trump warned Britain against deepening China ties just as Starmer hailed progress from a rare UK prime ministerial visit to Beijing.
Summary:
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President Donald Trump warned Britain against deepening economic ties with China as Prime Minister Keir Starmer pursued a reset in relations during a high-profile visit to Beijing.
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Starmer held extended talks with Xi Jinping, becoming the first UK prime minister to visit China since 2018.
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The UK leader highlighted gains on market access, visa-free travel and reduced whisky tariffs, framing engagement as pragmatic rather than ideological.
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Trump’s comments reflect broader unease among US allies amid tariff threats and geopolitical unpredictability.
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The episode underscores growing pressure on Western leaders to balance US relations with economic engagement in China.
Tensions between Washington and its allies over China policy were brought into sharp focus after US President Donald Trump warned Britain against closer economic engagement with Beijing, even as Prime Minister Keir Starmer promoted a reset in UK–China relations during a landmark visit.
Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday for talks lasting around three hours, marking the first visit by a British prime minister since 2018. The discussions ranged from trade and investment to cultural links, with Starmer calling for a “more sophisticated relationship” built on improved market access, lower tariffs and new investment opportunities. He also highlighted agreements on visa-free travel and reduced whisky tariffs as tangible and symbolic steps forward.
Addressing the UK–China Business Forum, Starmer described his meetings with Xi as “very warm” and said the engagement delivered “just the level of progress that we hoped for,” arguing Britain has much to offer the world’s second-largest economy. For Starmer’s Labour government, which has struggled to generate the growth it promised, strengthening ties with China has become a key economic priority.
In Washington, however, Trump struck a starkly different tone. Asked about Britain’s outreach to Beijing, he warned that closer ties were “very dangerous,” offering no further detail. The remarks came amid a period of heightened uncertainty for US allies, following Trump’s threats of tariffs, his criticism of NATO partners and his controversial comments on Greenland.
Starmer has sought to position Britain as capable of maintaining strong relations with both Washington and Beijing. He stressed that the UK’s ties with the United States — spanning defence, intelligence and trade — remain among its closest, and insisted Britain would not be forced to choose between the two powers. He pointed to Trump’s planned visit to Britain later this year, during which major US investment commitments are expected to be highlighted.
Other Western leaders are also stepping up engagement with China, including Emmanuel Macron, who visited late last year, and Germany’s Friedrich Merz, who is expected to travel soon. Yet US officials remain sceptical. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that exporting to China remains difficult, casting doubt on whether Britain’s efforts will deliver meaningful economic returns.
The episode highlights a widening strategic dilemma for US allies: how to pursue economic opportunity in China while managing political and security ties with an increasingly unpredictable Washington.
This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.