High-Stakes Diplomacy: Starmer Says China Trip Will Pay Off for UK
Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives in China for high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping, aiming to boost UK-China relations amid security and human rights concerns.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has arrived in China for a three-day visit – the first by a British prime minister in eight years.
Sir Keir hopes to strengthen trade and cultural ties between the two countries after years of strained relations.
However, he has faced criticism from opponents at home who are raising concerns about the threat China poses to Britain's national security and President Xi Jinping's human rights record.
The Prime Minister, who will meet President Xi on Thursday, said the visit would benefit Britain and that maintaining a "strategic and consistent relationship" with the world's second-largest economy was important.
Upon arriving at Beijing airport, Sir Keir was greeted by a delegation of Chinese government officials and presented with a bouquet of flowers. Union Jack flags were seen flying in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Addressing the 60 British business leaders who accompanied him on the trip, the Prime Minister said: “With this delegation, you are making history. You are part of the change we are bringing about.
“We are determined to look outwards, to seize opportunities, to build relationships… and always to remain absolutely focused on our national interest.”
Read Also
For a UK Prime Minister, the politics of engaging with China are fraught with difficulty.
China stands accused of committing crimes against humanity against the Uyghur population and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
There has also been criticism over the treatment of Jimmy Lai – the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon – who faces a potential life sentence in prison.
In addition to China’s human rights record, there are concerns in the UK about the scale of its espionage activities, with the head of MI5 recently warning that Chinese state agents pose a daily threat to national security.
Sir Keir refused to specify which issues he would raise with Chinese leaders.
He told journalists travelling with him: “Firstly, on all my trips, I have always raised the issues that need to be raised, but I don’t want to pre-empt specifics until I have the opportunity to do so.”
Software Services
He added: “One of the reasons for engaging with China is so that we can discuss the issues on which we disagree, and make progress on the issues on which we agree, and that is our approach.”
Sir Keir will be hoping that this trip – the first by a UK Prime Minister since Theresa May in 2018 – will improve relations with China, while also keeping US President Donald Trump onside.
He has insisted that the UK will not be forced to “choose” between China and the US amid growing trade tensions between the two superpowers in recent years.
He said the UK would maintain a “close relationship” with the US in the areas of trade, security and defence, but added that “burying our heads in the sand” was not an option. "Burying our heads in the sand and ignoring China... would not be wise."
The PM's trip has drawn sharp criticism from his political opponents in the UK, particularly after the government approved controversial plans for a Chinese mega-embassy in London.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she would not visit China "at this time" if she were Prime Minister.
She told reporters: "We should be talking more to countries that share our interests, not a country that is doing everything it can to undermine our economy."
"I think that's what the Prime Minister should be talking about, and he should be showing strength, not approving a super-embassy that many people believe will become a spy hub."
She had previously said she was "concerned about what he [Starmer] will do when he goes to China."
She added: "He'll probably give away the Isle of Wight before he comes back. Let's have a proper foreign policy that's based on reality and focuses on Britain's national interest."
Sir Keir also faced criticism from the Liberal Democrats in the House of Commons, where Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy stood in for him during his weekly question time session.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said: "While the Chinese government is still holding British citizen Jimmy Lai in prison, and while the Chinese government is chasing down and putting bounties on the heads of pro-democracy protesters on British streets, the British Prime Minister has gone to China begging for a trade deal, in exchange for which a super-embassy has been promised, which will allow the Chinese government to continue spying on us."
Thank you for reading this content.
Thank you for reading this content.
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
