.
Britain’s Prime Minister Kier Starmer at 10 Downing Street in London on July 16, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING:
Keir Starmer began the first visit to China by a British prime minister since 2018 on Wednesday, encouraging businesses to seize opportunities on a trip aimed at strengthening ties with Beijing as relations with the US become more volatile.
Starmer, whose approach to China has been criticised by some British and US politicians, said that while courting the world’s second-largest economy, Britain must also remain vigilant about potential security threats. “They say that eight days is a long time in politics. Try eight years, because it’s eight years since a British prime minister stepped on Chinese soil. So on this delegation you’re making history,” Starmer told more than 50 business leaders visting with him.
“You’re part of the change that we’re bringing about … Because everything you’re doing here, everything I’m doing here is focused on how do we benefit people at home,” he said before meeting President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday.
