UK-China latest: Trump blasts Starmer’s ‘dangerous’ Xi meeting as minister insists Britain must engage with Beijing

The US president has warned that it would be “dangerous” for Britain to do business with China, which has been denounced by a UK minister.

Trade minister Sir Chris Bryant told BBC Breakfast that Mr Trump’s remarks are “wrong” and added it would be “absolutely bonkers” for the UK not to engage with China after Donald Trump criticised Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the country.

The prime minister met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday as he made the case for a “more sophisticated” relationship between the two countries, before touching down in Shanghai for the next leg of his trip.

The trade minister also told Sky News: “I agree that you of course you have to go into your relationship with China with your eyes wide open.

“You have to challenge China on the issues where we disagree with them and but you have to face the fact that China is a major power in the world.

“It’s the second largest economy in the world, and it’s our fourth largest export market.

“So it would be absolutely bonkers to the UK not to engage with China.”

Key Points

Minister says ‘bonkers’ for UK not to deal with China
Trump was ‘wrong’ to warn UK over China trade deal, minister says
Trump warns it would be 'dangerous' for UK to do business with China
Starmer touches down in Shanghai for next leg of trip to China

In pictures: Keir Starmer visits Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai

11:22 , Bryony Gooch

What has the UK got out of China visit so far?

11:07 , Bryony Gooch

Whisky tariffs: Chinese tariffs on Scotch whisky are to be cut from 10 per cent to 5 per cent – a deal the UK Government said would be worth £250 million to the UK’s economy over the next five years.Visa-free travel: Britons visiting China for less than 30 days will no longer need a visa. It will apply to those travelling to China for business and as tourists, and brings the rules for UK visitors in line with those from 50 other countries including France and Germany.
Services: Clearer rules and better market access for the UK’s services sector, including financial legal, administration and retail services, have been agreed. China and the UK also agreed to conduct a “feasibility study” towards a binding services deal.
Small boats: Chinese and UK authorities for the first time will work together and share information aimed at disrupting small boats crossings. Some 60 per cent of the boats which crossed the Channel last year had motors made in China. The agreement will prevent these, as well as dinghies made in China, ending up in the hands of people smugglers.
Establishing closer relations: Both countries have agreed to work more closely on environmental issues, to resume a “high level security dialogue”, to a host of technical trade arrangements, and closer parliamentary ties.
Business deals: A delegation of 54 representatives of British businesses and cultural institutions have joined Sir Keir on the trip with a view to make deals with their Chinese counterparts. To that end, Octopus Energy has brokered access to China’s clean energy market, using its British tech.

Watch: Starmer meets China’s President Xi during visit to Beijing

10:25 , Bryony Gooch

In pictures: Starmer in Shanghai

10:10 , Bryony Gooch

Which other world leaders have made efforts to strengthen relations with China this year?

10:06 , Bryony Gooch

Sir Keir Starmer isn’t the only world leader who has made efforts to strengthen relations with China in 2026 amid volatile relations with US president Donald Trump.

French president Emmanuel Macron said at the World Economic Forum last week: “China is welcome, but what we need is more Chinese foreign direct investments in Europe, in some key sectors, to contribute to our growth, to transfer some technologies.”

Here are the other leaders who have expressed an interest in strengthening Chinese relations:

Taoiseach of Ireland Micheál Martin visited on 3 January
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney visited on 12 January
Uruguayan president Yamandu Orsi visited on 22 January
Finnish prime minister Orpo visited on 26 January

Govt to decide 'soon' whether to approve Chinese wind turbine manufacturing facility in Scotland due to security considerations

09:49 , Bryony Gooch

The government expects to decide “soon” whether to approve a Chinese firm’s plans to build the UK’s largest wind turbine manufacturing facility in Scotland but has to consider security, the trade minister has said.

Sir Chris Bryant said that in matters relating to infrastructure the UK Government has to consider whether an investment is “safe and secure” before coming to a decision.

Ming Yang last autumn announced plans to build the UK’s largest wind turbine manufacturing facility in Ardersier near Inverness.

The company said the £1.5 billion project could create 1,500 jobs.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast programme Sir Chris was asked whether the UK Government is going to approve the project.

He said a final decision has not been made and that the UK has to be “clear eyed” about its relationship with China and has to challenge them on issues such as human rights.

Sir Chris said: “Also everybody will know that there have been issues around espionage in the UK, we need to make sure that all our critical national infrastructure is safe and secure.”

Watch: 'Good, strong place’: Starmer hails 'productive' trade talks with Xi-Jinping in historic China visit

09:37 , Bryony Gooch

Starmer shouldn’t have gone to China without ensuring ‘Jimmy Lai was coming home with him’ - shadow minister

09:30 , Bryony Gooch

Political reporter Athena Stavrou reports:

The shadow national security minister has said she wouldn’t have gone to China without assurance “Jimmy Lai was coming home with me”.

Sir Keir has faced calls to raise the jailing of Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai on his visit to China this week.

Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP for Rutland and Stamford, said the prime minister’s visit to China telling Beijing the visit will give them “the propaganda coup that you are looking for, without any meaningful returns for our national security”.

When asked what would have constituted a meaningful return, Ms Kearns told Times Radio: "I would have put a precondition that I was not going to go if I was prime minister, unless Jimmy Lai was coming home with me.”

Starmer begins second leg of China visit with Yuyuan Gardens tour

09:24 , Bryony Gooch

Sir Keir Starmer toured Shanghai’s Yuyuan Gardens and talked to Chinese students about Larry the Downing Street cat as he began the second leg of his visit to China.

About two hours after arriving in Shanghai, Sir Keir visited a shopping district in Yuyuan Gardens, an area in the old part of the city decorated with hundreds of red lanterns for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The prime minister stopped to admire a display of large multicoloured horse lanterns and visited a shop selling butterfly biscuits, a local specialty. He then went to Huxinting Teahouse, an ornate pavilion on stilts rising over a lake.

Inside, Sir Keir met with Chinese design students who had made British-themed lanterns, including a red double-decker bus, Battersea Power Station and a cat with a Union flag bow tie.

Sir Keir told the students about Larry, who he said was very popular with world leaders visiting Downing Street.

The design students were from Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation, a joint institute between Shanghai’s Donghua University and Edinburgh University.

Previous visitors to the Huxingting Tea House include Queen Elizabeth II and Jackie Chan.

Trump 'wrong' to say UK-China relationship 'dangerous'

09:15 , Bryony Gooch

British trade department minister Chris Bryant said Trump was "wrong" to say the UK entering a relationship with China was doing was dangerous.

"Of course, we enter into our relationship with China with our eyes wide open," he told the BBC on Friday.

Around the time of Trump's comments, Sir Keir Starmer told a meeting of the UK-China Business Forum in the Chinese capital that his "very warm" meetings with Xi had provided "real progress".

Starmer hailed deals on visa-free travel and lower whisky tariffs as "really important access, symbolic of what we're doing with the relationship".

"That is the way that we build the mutual trust and respect that is so important," Sir Keir said.

Trump warns it would be 'dangerous' for UK to do business with China

08:59 , Tara Cobham

Donald Trump has warned it would be “dangerous” for the UK to do business with China.

Asked by reporters early on Friday about the UK’s efforts to strengthen economic ties with China, the US President expressed disapproval.

“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.

Minister says ‘bonkers’ for UK not to deal with China

08:55 , Tara Cobham

It would be “absolutely bonkers” for the UK not to engage with China, a minister has said, after Donald Trump expressed disapproval of Sir Keir Starmer’s trip to the country.

Asked by Sky News about the US president’s suggestion overnight it would be “dangerous” for the UK to do business with China, trade minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “Well, he also said that President Xi (Jinping) is a friend of his and that he’s going to visit him in April.”

Sir Chris added: “I agree that you of course you have to go into your relationship with China with your eyes wide open.

“You have to challenge China on the issues where we disagree with them and but you have to face the fact that China is a major power in the world.

“It’s the second largest economy in the world, and it’s our fourth largest export market.

“So it would be absolutely bonkers to the UK not to engage with China.”

Minister does not rule out future UK visit for President Xi

08:53 , Tara Cobham

Political correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

A government minister has been unable to rule out a future visit to the UK by Xi Jinping.

Trade minister Sir Chris Bryant was unable to give his own opinion on a potential visit on Friday, after No 10 left the door open to a future visit from the Chinese President.

When asked if Mr Xi would be welcome to the UK, Mr Bryant said: “The visit of a president is normally a matter for the palace as well as for the for the government.

“So I don't want to get ahead of myself - It's not for me to be issuing invitation.”

When asked whether a visit would be appropriate, given China has sanctioned British MPs, Mr Bryant said: “Of course we take all those issues that you just raised extremely seriously and I'm sure that they would factor into any discussions.”

Watch: Trump considers UK deal with China 'very dangerous'

08:52 , Tara Cobham

Starmer touches down in Shanghai for next leg of trip to China

08:52 , Tara Cobham

Sir Keir Starmer has touched down in Shanghai for the next leg of his trip to China.

The prime minister met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday as he made the case for a “more sophisticated” relationship between the UK and China.

He also met business leaders and Chinese ministers in Beijing as he continues his push to bolster economic ties with the country, including Chinese Health Minister Ma Xiaowei and the Bank of China chairman Ge Haijiao.

Sir Keir’s visit to Shanghai, a massive financial hub and China’s biggest city, will cap a trip during which the prime minister’s political opponents accused him of “kowtowing” to Mr Xi.

Trump was ‘wrong’ to warn UK over China trade deal, minister says

08:46 , Tara Cobham

Political correspondent Athena Stavrou reports:

Donald Trump’s warning to Sir Keir Starmer was rebuked by trade minister Sir Chris Bryant on Friday, who said his remarks on the UK’s trade prospects were “wrong”.

Hours after the prime minister met Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing, US president Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the UK’s efforts to do business with China, saying it is “dangerous”.

Asked by BBC Breakfast if the US president was wrong in his remarks, trade minister Sir Chris Bryant said: “Yes, he is wrong, and I say this precisely because, apart from anything else, he himself said in his own statement that he is a friend with President Xi, and as I understand it, President Trump is going to China himself in April.”