UK Prime Minister Visits China for First Time in 8 Years: "Will Not Choose Between US and China"

Prime Minister Starmer's Interview with Bloomberg
Focus on Economic Cooperation... Delegation Includes Business Leaders
Draws a Line with Canada, Which Has Challenged the US

Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Reuters Yonhap News

"Sometimes, we are asked to choose one country over another. We do not make such choices."

On January 26 (local time), ahead of his visit to China, Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, stated in an interview with Bloomberg that he would not strengthen ties with China at the expense of the UK's core allies. In response to the question, "Are you seeking to strengthen relations with China even if it means sacrificing relationships with the UK's key allies?" he replied, "Even when we were pursuing the US-UK trade deal in the past, there was pressure to choose between the United States and Europe, but I refused to make that choice then as well." This indicates that he has no intention of siding with either the US or China.

The interview took place ahead of Prime Minister Starmer's trip to Beijing. This marks the first visit by a British Prime Minister to China in about eight years, during which time the two countries have experienced tensions over issues such as the crackdown in Hong Kong. Bloomberg explained that this visit is part of the Labour Party's election pledge to reset the strained bilateral relationship.

He drew a clear line, saying, "My meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping will not provoke the United States or damage US-UK relations," and added, "There is no need for a trade-off in dealing with both countries." A trade-off refers to the necessity of giving up one thing to gain another when resources are limited.

He also noted that his message differs from that of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who, at the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, called for solidarity among small and medium-sized countries in the "new era of great power competition." Canada, a traditional ally of the United States, has recently improved relations with China and is even considering deploying troops to Greenland, signaling a challenge to the US.

Prime Minister Starmer emphasized, "We maintain a very close relationship with the United States and will continue to do so, especially in security and defense," and added, "With China being the world's second-largest economy, it would not be wise to bury our heads in the sand and ignore business opportunities."

He stated that the top priority of this visit is "the economy," clarifying, "This does not undermine national security; in fact, it is quite the opposite." Prime Minister Starmer is expected to be accompanied by a delegation of about 60 representatives from businesses, universities, and cultural institutions. For this reason, he is deliberately not highlighting differences on security and human rights issues, such as the imprisonment of British citizen and media tycoon Jimmy Lai.

In addition, Prime Minister Starmer assessed that the current US-UK diplomatic situation is "a mature relationship," even as the US and Europe have recently clashed over Danish-controlled Greenland. US President Donald Trump once advocated for the incorporation of Greenland and threatened Europe with tariffs, only to later withdraw, earning the mockery "TACO" (Trump Always Chickens Out).