UK-China latest: Starmer brushes off Trump criticism of his ‘dangerous’ efforts to woo Beijing

Sir Keir Starmer has brushed off comments by Donald Trump warning it was “dangerous” for the UK to do business with China, saying the president was “talking more about Canada”.

Mr Trump expressed disapproval of the Prime Minister’s trip to China in remarks to reporters early on Friday.

“Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that, and it’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China,” he said.

He added that Canada was doing “poorly” and said “you can’t look at China as the answer”.

But in broadcast interviews in Shanghai, Sir Keir said his visit had been “very successful”.

He told Sky News: “I’ve seen President Trump’s comments.

“I think, to be fair, he was probably talking more about Canada than the United Kingdom.”

Adding that the US and UK remained “very close allies”, he said his visit to China had been discussed with Mr Trump’s team beforehand and pointed to the president’s upcoming visit to the country in April.

The group of sanctioned parliamentarians said: “While British citizen Jimmy Lai remains imprisoned and Uyghurs continue to suffer atrocity crimes, we take no comfort in this decision and will not be silenced.

“We look forward to receiving urgent assurances from the government regarding those who were placed under sanction together with us, and take this opportunity to express our ongoing solidarity with the Uyghur people, whose cause we will not drop.

“We hope that the Prime Minister will meet all of those sanctioned, not just sitting parliamentarians, upon his return.”

Sir Ed Davey said the UK Government is approaching China from a “weak” position because of the lack of a British-EU customs union.

Asked whether he would welcome a visit from Xi Jinping to the UK, he said: “The Liberal Democrats believe we do need to talk to China, absolutely, but we also need to do that from a position of strength, which is where the current Labour Government is going wrong.

“If we had a new trading relationship with Europe, a customs union as the Liberal Democrats have argued, we’d be able talk to China about improving our economic relations but also to call China out for its human rights abuses – what it does to Hong Kongers, to the illegal detention of Jimmy Lai.

“These are the sorts of issues we should be raising, but I’m afraid this Government is so weak because it hasn’t got a European deal.”

Political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:

Donald Trump was aware of Sir Keir Starmer’s trip and objectives in China ahead of his visit, UK officials have insisted.

The US president said early on Friday that it would be “dangerous” for the UK to do business with China, as the prime minister continues his efforts to bolster economic ties.

After the comments were made, UK officials insisted Trump was aware of the trip. It was also highlighted that the US president is planning his own trip to China in April.

It is understood that Britain will not be lifting restrictions in exchange as Sir Keir Starmer revealed that sanctions had been lifted on MPs and peers.

The UK imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and a state-run organisation involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang province, including against the Uighur Muslim minority.

The Chinese foreign ministry said: “The two sides agreed in principle to resume normal exchanges between the legislatures of the two countries.

“China welcomes British parliamentarians who have the willingness to visit China more and experience the real China.”

Sir Keir revealed the sanctions on MPs and peers had been lifted during a series of broadcast interviews in Shanghai, saying he had been “duty-bound” to raise the issue.

He told ITV News: “This has been a cause of concern in Parliament and for parliamentarians for some time and that is why I raised it on this visit.

“And the response from the Chinese is that the restrictions no longer apply and President Xi has told me that that means that all parliamentarians are welcome to visit.

“That underscores the point I’ve been making all along, which is if you engage, if you come and visit and have that leader-to-leader dialogue, you can not only take the opportunities which we have been taking, but also resolve some of the more difficult issues between our two countries.”

British MPs and peers sanctioned by China have said their position should not be used as a “bargaining chip” in Sir Keir Starmer’s negotiations with Beijing.

The UK imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and a state-run organisation involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang province, including against the Uyghur Muslim minority.

In response, in 2021, Beijing imposed sanctions on senior politicians including former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith; former security minister Tom Tugendhat; Commons deputy speaker Nus Ghani; Tory MP Neil O’Brien; former MP Tim Loughton; and peers Lord Alton of Liverpool, and Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws.

In a joint statement, they said: “In response to rumours that Beijing is considering lifting sanctions on us in exchange for diplomatic and economic concessions, we wish to make our position unequivocally clear: we would rather remain under sanction indefinitely than have our status used as a bargaining chip to justify lifting British sanctions on those officials responsible for the genocide in Xinjiang.

“We would reject any deal that prioritises our personal convenience over the pursuit of justice for the Uyghur people.

“We stand in total solidarity with our families, former colleagues, and the civil society organisations who remain targeted by the People’s Republic of China.

“We will not accept any reprieve that applies only to sitting lawmakers while others, including civil society organisations, remain sanctioned.”

China has agreed to lift sanctions on British MPs and peers with immediate effect, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

It comes as sanctioned politicians said they would rather main under sanction indefinitely than have their status used as a bargaining chip to justify lifting British sanctions on officials linked to human rights abuses against Uyghur people.

Jimmy Lai and Hong Kong: 78-year-old British national Mr Lai remains behind bars. The media mogul was an influential voice in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and has been detained for more than five years under the territory’s national security law. The PM has said he raised the case with Xi Jinping, but no movement appears to have been made on his release.

The Uyghurs: The Muslim ethnic group from China’s north west Xinjiang province have reportedly suffered various human rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese government. Sir Keir said the Uyghurs were part of the “respectful discussion” on areas of disagreement he had with President Xi.

Security concerns: The No 10 delegation is not taking any chances when it comes to security. In a sign there are still concerns about potential Chinese state espionage, all are reported to have taken temporary “burner” phones with them on the trip, to avoid their technology being hacked by the Chinese authorities.