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Trump warns UK against striking business deals with China after Starmer trip
While Starmer is similarly seeking a reset with China, he’s been careful not to present it as an effort to hedge against a less reliable US under Trump.
President Donald Trump warned the UK and Canada against striking business deals with China, after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer became the latest US ally to announce plans to deepen trade ties during a visit to Beijing.
Asked what he thought of the UK doing business with China, Trump said late on Thursday that the move would be “very dangerous.” He then directed his criticism toward Canada, whose prime minister, Mark Carney, unveiled a new strategic partnership with Beijing earlier this month before delivering a speech at Davos that was widely seen as a critique of the US president.
While Starmer is similarly seeking a reset with the world’s second-largest economy, he’s been careful not to present it as an effort to hedge against a less reliable US under Trump. The British premier is attending business events Shanghai on Friday, after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
“It’s very dangerous for them to do that,” Trump said while attending a premiere for Melania, the documentary about First Lady Melania Trump. “It’s even more dangerous, for Canada to get into business with China,” he added. “Canada is not doing well. They’re doing very poorly, and you can’t look at China as the answer.”
Trump’s criticism came hours after Starmer announced a series of trade measures with Chinese officials, including visa-free travel for Britons and a cut to tariffs on British whisky. Xi told Starmer he wanted a “long-term, stable” relationship with Britain, while the British prime minister said he wanted “to find ways to work together in a manner which is fit for these times.”
Starmer left London aware of the need to tread carefully while in China to avoid drawing Trump’s ire. The president threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian goods in the wake of Carney’s diplomatic push, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned him against pursuing a “globalist agenda.”
“It’s a reasonable strategy for the UK, but the major risk is that the Trump administration will retaliate in some way,” said Christopher Beddor, deputy China research director at Gavekal Dragonomics. “Additional US tariffs might easily offset any gains from closer trading relations with China.”
British officials played down the significance of Trump’s criticism of Starmer’s trip. The Trump administration was informed in advance about the prime minister’s plans, one UK official said, adding that the US president is expected to make his own trip to Beijing in April.
Trump also hasn’t followed through on his threatened levies on Canadian goods.
Starmer’s visit marks the first by a British prime minister in eight years, and is designed to rebuild a relationship frayed by disputes over Hong Kong and spying. It also comes as Trump continues to spar with US allies, most recently in the UK’s case by downplaying the role of NATO troops in the war in Afghanistan.
In Beijing on Friday, Starmer told business leaders he had “very warm” meetings with Xi that provided the hoped-for “level of engagement.” Starmer hailed agreements with China as “really important access, symbolic of what we’re doing with the relationship.”
Starmer joined a round table with executives including Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. co-founder Pan Jian, JD.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sandy Xu and Bank of China chairman Ge Haijiao. He also met with Chery Automobile Co. CEO Yin Tongyue to discuss expanding the company’s footprint in the UK automotive sector, where Chinese brands are increasing their market share.
“This is all positive news,” former UK Business Secretary Vince Cable said on Bloomberg Television. “The key point is that because of the erratic behavior of President Trump, the British — like the Canadians, the French, the Germans — are having to hedge. We’re having to build up relationships with the other superpower. And that’s realistic.”
Xi had thanked Starmer for his open embrace of China. “I appreciate your public statement that China presents an opportunity and engagement with China is essential,” he said. Recent visits from South Korean, Canadian and French leaders to Beijing have also been viewed domestically as diplomatic wins.
Further softening the blow of Starmer’s trip, his Labour government has been signaling a reset in ties with Beijing since coming into office. For Carney, by contrast, the decision to embrace Xi was a sudden pivot after years of tight Canadian alignment with US policy on China.
Chris Torrens, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, described a “real opportunity” for UK services. “The general mood here is that any kind of engagement is positive,” he said. “There’s more trust and momentum there, which is positive.”
Starmer’s engagement with China comes as he also manages differences over issues such as human rights. The prime minister said he had a “respectful” discussion with Xi on topics including Hong Kong’s imprisonment of former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a British national, and China’s treatment of Uyghurs.
In April, Trump is expected to visit the Chinese capital as the world’s biggest economies seek to protect their one-year trade truce. Underscoring that desire to safeguard ties, Trump spoke warmly of China’s top leader on Thursday, even as he warned Canada and the UK of getting closer.
“President Xi is a friend of mine,” Trump said. “I know him very well.”
