Keir Starmer’s China visit: UK follows Mark Carney in major reset of ties

The UK prime minister is set to reset strained ties with China in a highly-anticipated visit to Beijing expected at the end of January.

According to sources privy to matter, the visit will aim to revive a “golden era” business dialogue with top company executives from both sides.

As reported by Reuters, the British companies including BP, HSBC, AstraZeneca, Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls Royce, and Standard Charters are expected to join a revamped “UK-China CEO Council.”

The council in question was conceived by former PM Theresa May and Premier Li Keqiang in 2018. The era of ties is often called “a golden era.”

The visit will take place as the Chinese mega-embassy won the UK approval in London on Tuesday despite the allies’ objections and security concerns.

Plans are being made for a high-level official meeting between the UK and China, but certain details are still uncertain.

The two countries have not agreed on an official English name for the group. Moreover, if the meeting happens, China’s second-in-command Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing’s side. There is also no clarity on which business leaders will attend.

The delays are also possible as the international community, including the UK, is on edge given Trump’s threats over the Greenland dispute.

Resetting the ties

Starmer visit if materializes would be the first by a British leader since 2018. For the last few years, the UK government was very critical of China.

In a speech late last year, the Labour prime minister slammed the previous Conservative governments of a "dereliction of duty" by allowing ties with the second-largest economy to deteriorate.

Commercial ties with China also went down the spiral after the UK's move to ban Huawei from its 5G networks in 2020.

In 2022, the UK government used public money to buy out a Chinese company’s share in a new nuclear power plant, replacing them in the project.

However, neither the UK nor China has officially confirmed the date of the upcoming visit.

Last week, the Canadian PM Mark Carney visited Beijing and secured landmark deals on EVs and canola after a decade of diplomatic freeze.