UK PM Keir Starmer just met with Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
There are several parallels to Canadian PM Mark Carney’s visit two weeks ago. It’s the first visit from a British Prime Minister since Theresa May in 2018. UK-China relations have been strained, although not to the same degree as with Canada. The visit is about resetting the relationship and expanding economic engagement. Starmer aims to deepen cooperation in certain areas while setting aside differences—a pragmatic and non-ideological approach, similar to that of Carney.
Starmer’s visit comes as many U.S. allies, not just Canada, are sending high-level delegations to China. The leaders of France, South Korea, Finland have all visited in the last month, and the German Chancellor will be here in a few weeks.
I shared these comments with Evelyn Cheng for CNBC last week: “Over the last year since U.S. tariffs were put on the table, we’ve seen an uptick in interest from non-American Western consumer brands looking to diversify their international sales by exporting to China. In Canada, the recent warming of relations with China has increased the confidence of businesses to engage China. Carney’s visit serving as a valuable signal of newfound stability in the relationship, which lowers risk for business. Starmer’s visit should provide a similar impetus for UK business, as it did for Albanese and Australian business over the last year.”
UK-China bilateral trade in goods exceeded $100 billion in 2025, but as with Canada, there is enormous unlocked trade potential. Since establishing WPIC Marketing + Technologies’ UK presence a few years ago, we’ve contributed to that trade by helping British consumer brands sell into China via e-commerce. China is one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated consumer markets, and there is substantial demand for products and services where the UK excels—particularly in sectors like health, beauty, food, lifestyle, and education.
With more meetings lined up for Starmer this afternoon, the expectation is for a series of MOUs to facilitate an increase in bilateral trade and investment. Will be interesting to see the specific outcomes, but the trip already signals a reset in the relationship and should give momentum to British business in China.
