What to know about UK-China relations as Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Beijing

British leader’s trip to China is a balancing act between trade, national security and Trump 1 of 6 | U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is heading to China, aiming to improve relations with Beijing amid tensions with the United States. Starmer will be accompanied by a delegation of corporate leaders on the visit, starting Wednesday, and is due to meet with President Xi Jinping. (AP video by Wayne Zhang) 2 of 6 | Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to welcome President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia and after Britain’s government has approved a massive new Chinese Embassy in central London in London, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) 3 of 6 | Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement in the media briefing room of 9 Downing Street, in central London, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt/Pool Photo via AP) 4 of 6 | A general view of Royal Mint Court where is planning site for the new London Chinese embassy, near London’s financial district, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) 5 of 6 | Chiese President Xi Jinping, center, meets with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, unseen, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP) 6 of 6 | FILE- Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court in Hong Kong, Dec. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) 1 of 6 U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is heading to China, aiming to improve relations with Beijing amid tensions with the United States. Starmer will be accompanied by a delegation of corporate leaders on the visit, starting Wednesday, and is due to meet with President Xi Jinping. (AP video by Wayne Zhang) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 6 Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Street to welcome President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia and after Britain’s government has approved a massive new Chinese Embassy in central London in London, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 6 Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a statement in the media briefing room of 9 Downing Street, in central London, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt/Pool Photo via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 6 A general view of Royal Mint Court where is planning site for the new London Chinese embassy, near London’s financial district, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 6 Chiese President Xi Jinping, center, meets with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, unseen, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 6 of 6 FILE- Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai is escorted by Correctional Services officers to get on a prison van before appearing in a court in Hong Kong, Dec. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Beijing (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that his country would not have to choose between relations with the U.S. and China as he started a four-day trip to China aimed at repairing ties and expanding opportunities for British companies in the world’s second-largest economy.The British leader arrived in the capital Beijing in the late afternoon. Earlier, he told reporters while en route that he would balance engagement with China with national security concerns.“I’m a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense,” he said. He is the first U.K. prime minister to visit Beijing since Theresa May in 2018. The relationship deteriorated in the intervening years over growing concern about Chinese espionage, Beijing’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and its crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, the former British colony.Those issues remain, but both sides are emphasizing that they should “seek common ground while managing differences,” as Zheng Zeguang, China’s Ambassador to the U.K., wrote in a commentary for The Times of London this week. Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel. Follow on The UK sees opportunity in selling services to ChinaStarmer, whose center-left Labour Party government has struggled to deliver the economic growth it promised, is bringing a delegation of more than 50 British business leaders including executives from British Airways, HSBC bank and Jaguar Land Rover. His agenda includes Shanghai, the nation’s financial capital and a major port, as well as meetings with Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders in Beijing. Wang Yiwei, a European affairs expert at Renmin University of China, said that Britain’s strengths in finance, consulting and other services dovetail well with a growing appetite in China for services such as health and elderly care. “It’s a huge market,” he said.China had a huge trade surplus with the U.K. in 2025, exporting $85.1 billion in goods while importing $18.6 billion worth, according to Chinese statistics. But the U.K. had a trade surplus in services.“With recent Chinese policy directives focused on boosting domestic consumption and further opening the services sector to international businesses, we see significant opportunities for growth for U.K. businesses,” the China-Britain Business Council said. The Trump factor weighs on both countriesFor many governments, the disruption to global trade under U.S. President Donald Trump has made expanding trade and investment even more imperative.Both Britain and China have been buffeted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and are seeking to diversify their overseas markets and the supply chains for their industries. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a trip to China earlier this month with the same goals in mind.The approach is not without risks. Trump has threatened to put a 100% tariff on Canada if it reaches a trade deal with China, prompting a swift response from Carney. Canada and China have a preliminary agreement to cut tariffs on electric vehicles and farm goods, but Canada has no intention of pursuing a free trade deal with Beijing, the Canadian leader said. For many countries, the challenge is finding the right balance in an increasingly uncertain world. Even China, a rising challenger to U.S. dominance in the 21st century, cannot oppose America, Wang said, noting Trump’s planned visit in April.“We are not against but we criticize,” he said.Spying and Hong Kong complicate the relationshipConcern about Chinese spying and surveillance has risen sharply in many countries in recent years, complicating trade and overall relations. The U.K. has barred Chinese investment in sensitive telecoms infrastructure and squeezed China out of investment in new nuclear power plants, souring ties.Starmer’s government has said it will protect national security while keeping up diplomatic dialogue and economic cooperation with the Asian superpower. The U.K. recently approved plans for a huge Chinese Embassy in London, removing a sticking point in relations but also overriding claims by critics that the “mega-embassy” would make it easier for China to conduct espionage and intimidate dissidents.While most Western leaders come under pressure to raise human rights issues with China, they are a particular flashpoint for the U.K. because of its historical links to Hong Kong, a British colony until 1997. Starmer’s visit comes less than two months after a Hong Kong court convicted Jimmy Lai, a former newspaper publisher and a British citizen, under a national security law that Beijing imposed on the territory after massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.Chris Patten, the British governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997, said Starmer should be firm in raising disagreements over Lai’s imprisonment and other human rights issues.Lawless reported from London. Moritsugu covers political, economic and social issues from Beijing for The Associated Press. He has also reported from New Delhi, Bangkok and Tokyo and is the AP’s former news director for Greater China and for Japan and the Koreas. Lawless is based in London, covering British politics, diplomacy and culture and top stories from the UK and beyond. She has reported for the AP from two dozen countries on four continents.