Trump warns Britain on China ties; Starmer praises Beijing progress

WASHINGTON/BEIJING – U.S. President Donald Trump warned that it could be risky for Britain to deepen economic ties with China, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the benefits of improving relations during his visit to Beijing on Friday.

Starmer met with President Xi Jinping for three hours on Thursday, calling for a “more sophisticated relationship” that includes better market access, lower tariffs, and new investment deals. Their discussions also touched on cultural topics like soccer and Shakespeare.

Speaking in Washington ahead of the “Melania” film premiere at the Kennedy Center, Trump commented, “It’s very dangerous for them to do that,” without providing further details. Trump has previously threatened tariffs on Canada over trade deals with China and plans to visit China himself in April.

Meanwhile, Starmer told the UK-China Business Forum that his meetings with Xi had delivered “real progress,” highlighting agreements on visa-free travel and reduced whisky tariffs. He emphasized that these steps help build mutual trust and respect between the two countries.

During his visit, Starmer also met Chinese business leaders, including Yin Tongyue, CEO of Chery, which plans to open a research and development center for commercial vehicles in Liverpool. Improving economic ties with China has been a top priority for Starmer’s government, which seeks to boost growth amid domestic challenges.

Despite Trump’s unpredictable trade threats and controversial proposals like controlling Greenland, Starmer believes Britain can strengthen relations with China while maintaining its historic partnership with the United States.

“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 pounds of U.S investment in to the country.

Washington also received advanced notice of Britain’s objectives for the China trip, a British government official said on condition of anonymity as the matter is a sensitive one.

Starmer, who normally avoids criticising Trump, has been more 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.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to visit China soon, and Carney was preceded by French President Emmanuel Macron in December, when Xi accompanied him on a rare trip outside the capital.

“To all world leaders meeting with Xi Jinping: China sells nothing but cheap products and cheap friendships,” the Republican-led US House Foreign Affairs committee said on X on Thursday.

Before Trump’s comments on the closer ties, his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said it was unlikely that Starmer’s efforts with China would pay off.

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“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.”

Asked if Trump would threaten Britain with tariffs as he did Canada, Lutnick replied, “Unless the prime minister of Britain sort of takes on the United States and says very difficult things, I doubt it.”

Reporting by Bo Erickson in Washington and Andrew MacAskill in Beijing; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Neil Fullick and Clarence Fernandez