British PM Keir Starmer brushes off Trump's threats and defends successful China trip
Shanghai, China - UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer brushed off President Donald Trump's threats as he touted the success of his historic diplomatic trip to China.
"I've seen President Trump's comments, and I think, to be fair, he was probably talking more about Canada than the United Kingdom," Starmer told Sky News when asked about Trump's recent warning that dealing would China would be "very dangerous."
"I don't think it's wise for the United Kingdom to stick its head in the sand. China is the second-biggest economy in the world," Starmer continued. "It's, along with Hong Kong, our third-biggest trading partner."
"The US and the UK are very close allies, and that's why we discussed the visit with his team before we came."
Trump last week threatened Canada with a 100% tariff if it agrees a trade deal with China.
Asked about Trump's comments on Friday, Beijing's foreign ministry said that "China is willing to strengthen cooperation with all countries in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win results."
Starmer's trip to China generally lauded a success
On Thursday, Starmer met with top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, where he participated in "engaged" talks and signed a series of agreements.
Downing Street announced that Beijing had agreed to visa-free travel for British citizens visiting China for under 30 days, though Starmer acknowledged there was no start date for such an arrangement.
He also said Beijing had lifted sanctions on UK lawmakers targeted since 2021 for their criticism of human rights abuses against China's Muslim Uyghur minority.
"President Xi said to me that that means all parliamentarians are welcome," Starmer said in an interview.
He also said that he had brought up the subject of Jimmy Lai, a UK citizen who was jailed in Hong Kong for his political reporting, with Xi, but provided no further details.
China also agreed to halve tariffs on British whisky to 5%, according to Downing Street.
"This visit has produced fruitful outcomes, which demonstrate the breadth and depth of cooperation between the two countries," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun during a daily press conference on Friday.
"China stands ready to work with the UK to implement the important common understandings between the two leaders, see history from a broader perspective, rise above differences, [and] respect each other."
Starmer wrapped up his four-day trip to China on Saturday before jetting off to Tokyo for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Cover photo: AFP/Kin Cheung/POOL