Sir Keir Starmer arrived in Beijing, becoming the first British prime minister to visit China in eight years. While the trip aims to unlock dozens of trade deals for the UK’s struggling economy, Beijing views the visit through a much wider geopolitical lens. For President Xi Jinping, hosting Starmer is a key move in a “charm offensive” designed to position China as a stable, predictable partner for Western “middle powers” at a time when traditional alliances with the United States are under historic strain.
In my latest @thetimes article on PM Keir Starmer’s visit to China—the first by a British prime minister since 2018—I highlight the importance of renewed high-level engagement to build trust, expand co-operation, manage differences, and work together globally.
Let’s seize this… pic.twitter.com/cwphwGk3nn— Zheng Zeguang (@AmbZhengZeguang) January 27, 2026
China’s strategy focuses on “de-risking” the global order. By welcoming a flurry of leaders, including Canada’s Mark Carney, Ireland’s Micheal Martin, and South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung, Beijing aims to prove that major economies can maintain pragmatic ties with China regardless of Washington’s “America First” policies. The UK’s recent approval of a new Chinese mega-embassy in London served as the essential “entry ticket” for this visit, signaling a shift from what Starmer called the “ice age” of relations back toward consistent, high-level engagement.
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For the UK, the “dance” is delicate. Starmer must balance attracting vital investment in green tech and financial services with deep domestic concerns over espionage and the imprisonment of British national Jimmy Lai. While the “Golden Era” of 2015 is gone, Beijing sees this “Long Thaw” as proof that the world is moving toward a multipolar order where China’s manufacturing and 1.4 billion consumers are simply too large to ignore.
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