UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s warm welcome on a visit to China this week marks a thaw in icy relations with Beijing.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in China this week with a large delegation of businesspeople and cultural figures.
He received a warm welcome from Chinese President Xi Jinping.
But the visit got a frosty reception from the White House, with United States President Donald Trump calling Starmer’s trip “dangerous”.
What prompted Trump’s remarks? And how important was the British prime minister’s visit?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Will Hutton – Political economist
Andy Mok – Senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization
Steve Tsang – Director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London
Published On 30 Jan 2026