US president Donald Trump warned the UK and Canada against striking fresh business deals with China, after their leaders visited Beijing this month in an effort to deepen ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
“It’s very dangerous for them to do that,” Mr Trump said on Thursday night, in response to a reporter’s question on British prime minister Keir Starmer’s trip this week that has signalled a thaw in UK-China ties.
“It’s even more dangerous for Canada to get into business with China,” he added. “Canada is not doing well. They’re doing very poorly, and you can’t look at China as the answer.”
Mr Trump’s critique, delivered at the premiere of a documentary about US first lady Melania Trump, came hours after Mr Starmer met China’s president Xi Jinping and made progress in securing greater access to Chinese markets for UK companies.
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The warnings, including an earlier tariff threat against Canada, highlight the challenge for US allies in pursuing strategic autonomy from the US when it comes to China.
[ Keir Starmer meets Xi Jinping in Beijing as UK-China ties warmOpens in new window ]
Any further escalation from Mr Trump may test Mr Starmer’s ability to thread the needle. The prime minister has insisted the UK can work alongside Mr Xi without damaging its “special relationship” with the US, a balancing act that crimps Washington’s efforts to constrain China’s global reach.
“It’s a reasonable strategy for the UK, but the major risk is that the Trump administration will retaliate in some way,” said Christopher Beddor, deputy China research director at Gavekal Dragonomics. “Additional US tariffs might easily offset any gains from closer trading relations with China.”
In Beijing on Friday, Mr Starmer told business leaders he had “very warm” meetings with Mr Xi that provided the hoped-for “level of engagement”. Starmer hailed agreements on visa-free travel and lowering whisky tariffs as “really important access, symbolic of what we’re doing with the relationship”.
Mr Starmer also joined a round-table with executives and met with Chery Automobile to discuss expanding the company’s footprint in the UK automotive sector, where Chinese brands are increasing their market share.
One day earlier, the UK government said China would relax rules for British tourists and business travellers, allowing them to enter visa-free for stays up to 30 days. The move will bring the UK into line with others, such as the Republic, Australia, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
China hasn’t confirmed the move, only saying it will “actively consider” implementing such an arrangement.
Mr Starmer’s visit marks the first by a British prime minister in eight years, and is designed to rebuild a relationship frayed by disputes over Hong Kong and spying. It also comes as Mr Trump continues to spar with US allies, most recently in the UK’s case by downplaying the role of Nato troops in the war in Afghanistan.
“The more we are in a changing world, the more valuable such stability is,” Mr Starmer on Thursday told premier Li Qiang, touting the importance of working together in a “manner which is fit for these times”.
Hours earlier, Mr Xi thanked Mr Starmer for his open embrace of China. “I appreciate your public statement that China presents an opportunity and engagement with China is essential,” he said.
Recent visits from world leaders – including from South Korea, Ireland, Canada and France – to Beijing have also been viewed domestically as a diplomatic win.
Mr Starmer’s trip follows a similar move by Canada’s Mark Carney, who rolled back tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles imposed previously to match US levies. Mr Trump soon after threatened 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods if the country becomes a “back door” for such products.
The US leader has not followed through on those levies – suggesting that Mr Trump’s warning for the UK could also be all talk.
Further softening the blow of Mr Starmer’s trip, his Labour government has been signalling a reset in ties with Beijing since coming into office. For Mr Carney, by contrast, the decision to embrace Mr Xi was a sudden pivot after years of tight Canadian alignment with US policy on China.
Chris Torrens, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, described a “real opportunity” for UK services. “The general mood here is that any kind of engagement is positive,” he said. “There’s more trust and momentum there, which is positive.”
Mr Starmer’s engagement with China comes as he also manages differences over issues such as human rights. The prime minister said he had a “respectful” discussion with Xi on topics including Hong Kong’s imprisonment of former media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a British national, and China’s treatment of Uyghurs.
Mr Trump himself is scheduled to visit the Chinese capital in April as the world’s biggest economies seek to protect their one-year trade truce.
Underscoring that desire to safeguard ties, Mr Trump spoke warmly of China’s top leader on Thursday, even as he warned Canada and the UK.
“President Xi is a friend of mine,” Mr Trump said. “I know him very well.” – Bloomberg
