UK can't ignore China, says Starmer ahead of Beijing trip

As Britain prepares to become the first British prime minister in eight years to visit Beijing, Sir Keir Starmer has said that the UK cannot afford to ignore the Chinese economic opportunities. Sir Keir said in an interview with Bloomberg News that his trip will bring real opportunities for British businesses. In recent years, the UK would not be required to choose between China and keeping close links to the United States, according to him, despite increasing trade tensions between the two superpowers. According to him, the UK will maintain close ties with the US on bUSiness, intelligence, and defense, but he added that

sticking your head in the sand and ignoring China is the best way to avoid China. wouldn't be sensible

Hundreds of UK business executives are scheduled to travel with Prime Minister Theresa May, the first British leader to visit the region after she visited the country in 2018. The trip, which included stops in Beijing and Shanghai, comes after a turbulent few weeks of US-China relations. In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on allies who oppose his order to seize Greenland, sparking backlash in the United Kingdom by saying that Nato troops had been a little back from the front line in Afghanistan. If the United States and China reaches a trade agreement with China, Trump has threatened to slap a 100 percent tariff on Canadian exports. Following opposition from opposition parties and local residents, the trip comes days after the United Kingdom approved plans for a massive new Chinese embassy in London. The United Kingdom is waiting for China's authorities to approve its own £100 million initiative to redevelop the British embassy in Beijing.

'Diplomatic tightrope'

I'm often encouraged to simply pick between countries,

Sir Keir said in a Bloomberg interview. I don't do that.

We've got really close links with the US, we'll have to – of course, we want to - and we'd continue to do this work alongside security and defense,

the president said. Sir Keir said of the delegation accompanying him in China:

They know the opportunities that exist. That does not mean compromising on national security; quite the opposite. Sir Jeremy Hunt, who served as foreign secretary in China during 2018, said Sir Keir was correct to visit China, but it was also critical to remain

clear eyedthat China would have the strategic aim toprize apart

the UK-US relationship, according to Sir Darren Hunt.

There is a real diplomatic tightrope that Keir Starmer must walk here,he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.While there will be some perks from more trade with China, there will also be a lot of risk. In a case critics claim shows how Hong Kong's security laws have been used to muzzle political opposition, Sir Keir suggested that he will raise concerns with Beijing on human rights, including Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon found guilty of colluding with foreign forces in December. For years, Western governments, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have called for Lai's release, but Beijing and Hong Kong have refUSed.