Starmer: My China trip will make Britons richer

Sir Keir Starmer has defended his trip to China, the first by a prime minister in eight years, saying it will make Britons richer.

The Prime Minister accused previous Conservative governments of blowing hot and cold over China – moving from “the Golden Age to the Ice Age”. He insisted now was the time for a diplomatic thaw.

Sir Keir argued the trip would help put more money in people’s pockets and keep the nation safer.

However, Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, writing for The Telegraph, has accused the Prime Minister of “kowtowing to China”.

The last prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018. During the latest trip, Sir Keir will hold talks with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, in Beijing before travelling on to Shanghai and then Japan.

Downing Street aides argued Britain could not ignore China’s rapidly growing global influence and warned that “refusing to engage would be a staggering dereliction of duty”.

Before flying out, Sir Keir said: “For years, our approach to China has been dogged by inconsistency – blowing hot and cold, from Golden Age to Ice Age. But, like it or not, China matters for the UK.

“As one of the world’s biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest. That does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges they pose – but engaging even where we disagree.

“This is what our allies do, and what I will do: delivering for the public, putting more money in their pockets and keeping them safe through pragmatic, consistent co-operation abroad.”

The Prime Minister, like his predecessors, is attempting to balance the benefits of deepening ties with the world’s second-largest economy with the risks to security posed by an adversary.

More than 60 British businesses and cultural institutions are taking part in the trip, including Barclays, AstraZeneca, Jaguar Land Rover, the Royal Shakespeare Company and PwC.

The visit has been more than a year in the making and comes with Sir Keir struggling to deliver his self-declared “number one” priority in office of improving economic growth.

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, is not attending – she saw her Chinese counterparts in Davos last week – but Peter Kyle, the Business Secretary, and Lucy Rigby, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, are on board.

However, the trip has raised concerns about whether Sir Keir is treating the threat to national security and the Western alliance seriously enough.

The Telegraph revealed this week that China hacked the phones of some of the closest aides to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak between 2021 and 2024.

Last week, China was given planning permission to build a “super-embassy” in London. Labour ministers said the process was “quasi-judicial”, though Sir Keir’s trip comes just days after the approval.

The collapse of a case last year against two alleged Chinese spies – who have insisted their innocence – triggered a public row about whether the Government failed to categorically call China a threat to the UK in its written evidence.

Writing in The Telegraph, Mrs Badenoch accused Sir Keir of “kowtowing to China”.

She added: “China is a global superpower whose influence extends into every part of Britain’s economy and foreign affairs. The UK must always have a dialogue with China.

“But we cannot be naive. China is also a threat to Britain. It is a country that does not believe in democracy, it has sanctioned our MPs, it disrupts the global trade system, oppresses the Uyghur Muslims and has aggressive designs on Taiwan. We need to have a relationship with China, but we do not need to be in hock to China.

“The Labour Government is scared of China. Keir Starmer is too weak and has no backbone. Britain needs a government that will act in the British national interest and stand up for the British values of freedom and free enterprise.

“In a world that is becoming tougher, we cannot afford wishful thinking.”

The Prime Minister is expected to raise human rights concerns with President Xi when they meet on Thursday, though No 10 advisers would not say which issues before the talks.

Sir Keir’s team insisted the Prime Minister would not “trade economic co-operation for our national security”.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “After years of isolationism and neglect, this Government has led a strategic re-engagement with the world – strengthening our influence abroad and making us stronger at home.

“This is Britain, back at the top table dealing with the world’s most consequential powers – including China – because we recognise the reality that China has a growing impact on the world and on our citizens’ lives.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]