UK PM Starmer meets Chinese President Xi Jinping
US President Donald Trump called out Britain on their dealings with China as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing. Trump made these comments Thursday while attending his wife Melania’s documentary premiere, amid growing Western efforts to rebuild ties with China.“Well it’s very dangerous for them to do that,” Trump told reporters when asked about Britain’s business dealings with China. He expressed even stronger concerns about Canada’s engagement with Beijing.China quickly responded to Trump’s remarks. Their foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Friday that “China is willing to strengthen cooperation with all countries in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win results”.Starmer’s Beijing trip marks the first British premier visit since 2018. He met Xi and other officials on Thursday, signing several partnership deals. This visit follows other Western leaders trying to improve relations with China, as many countries look for alternatives to an increasingly unpredictable United States.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also recently visited China, making deals on trade and tourism. Trump reacted by threatening 100-percent tariffs on Canadian imports if Carney continued dealing with Beijing. Carney later brushed off this threat as just a negotiating strategy.Trump specifically called out Canada’s approach, saying “It’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China. Canada is not doing well. They’re doing very poorly, and you can’t look at China as the answer.”
