British Prime Minister Starmer, who is about to visit China, stated that the UK does not have to choose between the US and China, and emphasized that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping will not anger US President Trump or harm the UK-US relationship.
In an interview with Bloomberg on the 26th, Starmer denied that he was strengthening ties with China at the expense of the UK’s relationship with its closest ally. This trip to China will be the first visit by a British Prime Minister in eight years, and follows Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s recent delegation to China, which once again triggered tariff threats from US President Trump.
“I am often asked to choose between countries, but I will not do so,” Starmer said at 10 Downing Street. “I remember when we were advancing the UK-US trade agreement, everyone told me I had to choose between the US and Europe, and my answer was, ‘I will not make that choice.’”
Starmer insisted that the UK can meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping without angering Trump or damaging relations with the US, and denied that his approach to China and the US required a trade-off. He also made it clear that he does not intend to send a signal similar to that of Carney.
Last week, the Canadian Prime Minister urged at the Davos Forum that middle powers must unite to resist the coercion from aggressive superpowers.