US EditionChina’s Xi Jinping, UK’s Keir Starmer agree to deepen economic ties
The leaders agreed on visa-free travel for UK citizens and initiatives to boost trade and security, with China being the UK’s third-largest trading partner in 2025.
- On Jan. 29, 2026, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping for an 80-minute session at the Great Hall of the People, calling for a `comprehensive strategic partnership` and agreeing on visa-free travel for under 30 days.
- After years of acrimony over spying, Russia support, and the Hong Kong crackdown, Keir Starmer framed the visit as a reset to boost the UK economy and services sector.
- The agreements include a feasibility study on a services agreement and cooperation targeting supply chains used by migrant smugglers, while AstraZeneca pledged a $15 billion investment in China through 2030 and China cut Scotch whisky tariffs to five percent.
- Premier Li Qiang will continue discussions to follow up on the Xi-Starmer meeting, and both sides are expected to sign agreements later in the day, Starmer said.
- Amid a cluster of allied visits to Beijing this month, Starmer faces criticism over human rights as Xi Jinping said, `Good things often come with difficulties`.
192 Articles
192 Articles
Trump Warns UK on 'Dangerous' Moves After Xi-Starmer Talks
(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump warned the UK and Canada against striking fresh business deals with China, after their leaders visited Beijing this month in an effort to deepen ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
Trump warns UK it's 'very dangerous' to do business with China after Starmer's Beijing meeting
President Donald Trump warned the United Kingdom against deepening ties with China after Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Pacific Daily News
Britain's Starmer seeks to bolster China ties despite Trump warning
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday that the UK has a "huge amount to offer" China, after his attempts to forge closer ties prompted warnings from US President Donald Trump.
Britain, China hail reset in ties
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed "really good progress" on issues including visa-free travel and tariffs during talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. Starmer's visit to China is the first by a British premier since 2018 and follows a slew of Western leaders seeking a rapprochement with Beijing recently, pivoting from an increasingly unpredictable United States. Xi and Starmer met at the opulent Great Hall of th…
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