US President signals disapproval of closer London-Beijing ties while British Prime Minister hails 'real progress' during China visit.
US President Donald Trump has expressed anger toward the United Kingdom, warning that it is "dangerous" for Britain to expand business ties with Beijing. The warning comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded the economic benefits of resetting relations with China during his high-profile visit there on Friday. As Western leaders struggle to adapt to Trump’s unpredictable stance, Starmer is the latest to travel to China. During three-hour talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday, the British leader called for a "more mature and complex relationship," seeking improved market access, lower tariffs, and investment deals, while also discussing lighter subjects such as football and Shakespeare. In Washington, responding to questions about the tightening of Anglo-Chinese relations, Trump stated: "Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that."
Trump to visit China in April
Trump, who intends to travel to China in April, had threatened to impose tariffs on Canada last week following economic agreements signed with Beijing by Prime Minister Mark Carney during a recent visit. A spokesperson for Downing Street and the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Around the same time as Trump's remarks, Starmer told a meeting of the UK-China Business Forum in Beijing that his "very warm" talks with Xi had yielded "real progress."
Starmer hailed agreements on visa-free travel and tariff reductions on whisky as "particularly significant access, symbolic of what we are trying to do with this relationship." He added, "This is how we build the mutual trust and respect that are so important." Before departing for the financial hub of Shanghai, he met with Chinese business leaders, including Yin Tongyue, CEO of automaker Chery, which is reportedly planning to open a research and development center for the commercial vehicle sector in Liverpool.
Refusing to choose between the US and China
Starmer, whose center-left Labour government is struggling to achieve its promised economic growth, has made improving relations with the world's second-largest economy a priority. His visit to China takes place amid Trump's alternating threats of trade tariffs and his pledges to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory—moves that have alarmed traditional US allies, including Britain. Due to a long history of close cooperation with the United States, Britain can strengthen its economic ties with China without provoking Trump's wrath, Starmer told reporters during the flight to Beijing.
"The relationship we have with the United States is among the closest we maintain," he said, listing sectors such as defense, security, intelligence, and trade. Starmer emphasized that Britain does not need to choose between closer ties with the US or China, recalling Trump's visit to Britain in September, during which £150 billion in investments from the US were announced. According to a British government official, Washington had been briefed in advance on the goals of the British mission to China, given the sensitivity of the issue. Starmer, who usually avoids criticizing Trump, has recently appeared more willing to challenge the American president.
He called on Trump to apologize for "frankly unacceptable" remarks suggesting that some NATO troops were avoiding front-line combat, and he made it clear that he would not bow to pressure regarding the annexation of Greenland.
A difficult market for exports
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to visit China soon, following in the footsteps of Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited in December when Xi accompanied him on a rare trip outside the Chinese capital. "To all world leaders meeting Xi Jinping: China sells nothing but cheap products and cheap friendships," the Republican-led US House Foreign Affairs Committee posted on the X platform on Thursday. Prior to Trump's comments, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that Starmer's efforts with China were unlikely to pay off.
"The Chinese are the biggest exporters and are very, very difficult when you try to export to them," he said. "So good luck if the Brits are trying to export to China... it’s just unlikely." When asked if Trump would threaten Britain with tariffs, as he did with Canada, Lutnick replied: "Unless the British Prime Minister turns openly against the United States and says very harsh things, I consider it unlikely."
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