Starmer’s “Silk” bridge Pragmatic dialogue between London and Beijing

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is on an official four-day visit to China. This trip marks the first such visit in eight years and symbolises London’s desire to restore pragmatic and stable bilateral relations with Beijing after a period of tension over espionage allegations, disagreements on Hong Kong, and China’s position on the conflict in Ukraine.

Starmer has already met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior officials, emphasising that his goal is to “open Britain to the world” and develop a long-term, consistent strategic partnership focused on economic cooperation, joint innovation, and humanitarian ties.

The British delegation includes leaders of more than 50 major companies and cultural organisations, highlighting the economic nature of the visit. London aims to restore trade and investment in sectors with minimal national security risks — including healthcare, biotechnology, climate, and education — as well as to promote exports of British goods, lift trade restrictions (including tariffs on Scottish whisky), and potentially simplify the visa regime.

For China, the meeting holds strategic significance as a way to strengthen dialogue with the West, demonstrate its ability to negotiate with US allies, and promote the concept of “peaceful development.” Beijing has used Starmer’s visit to reinforce the idea of multi-level cooperation without preconditions for political concessions, focusing instead on targeted agreements in finance, investment, green technology, and education.

Analysts note that, as before, China does not intend to make broad economic concessions. Talks with London are aimed at reducing mutual distrust and creating a working platform for future engagement.

Starmer’s main challenge lies in balancing relations between Beijing and Washington. The British government presents the visit as a pragmatic step serving national interests, without undermining the strategic alliance with the US. Recent sharp remarks by US President Donald Trump regarding Canada, which struck deals with China, demonstrated that such initiatives can provoke criticism and tariff threats, requiring London to proceed cautiously. Nevertheless, the visit fits within the broader context of international diplomacy: Western US allies are gradually seeking constructive, targeted forms of engagement with China amid a slowing global economy, fragmented markets, and growing geopolitical turbulence.

This message gained particular urgency after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech in Davos, in which he called on “middle powers” to unite against the dictates of global hegemons, implicitly referring primarily to the United States.

It is therefore unsurprising that President Trump has already reacted negatively to the British Prime Minister’s visit to China. In a brief statement to the press, Trump described the strengthening of ties between the UK and China as “very dangerous” for Britain.

The world is entering a phase of recalibrating new connections and relationships. The key factor shaping this global context is the US’s firm approach to advancing its interests, combining aggressive trade and coercive measures. However, as we can observe, this policy seems to be generating pushback — US allies are increasingly looking to China and the cooperation opportunities it offers to diversify their economic ties and reduce dependence on Washington.

Overall, analysts agree that Starmer’s visit represents an important symbolic step in rebooting relations, opening doors for gradual economic initiatives, and strengthening diplomatic channels without fundamentally altering the balance of power.