Keir Starmer describes himself as a “British pragmatist” who takes a “common sense” approach. When it comes to global affairs, and domestic ones too, he isn’t one to grandstand, he’d rather try to get things done.
That has been the entire tenor of his three-day visit to China as the former human rights lawyer-turned prime minister seeks tor reset Britain’s relationship with China.
Ask him about Donald Trump’s warning that it’s “very dangerous” for the UK to seek closer ties with China, and Starmer swerves.
Ask him about the plight of the pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, imprisoned in Hong Kong, and he says the issues has been raised, but he doesn’t want to go into it.
Ask him whether he agrees with Mark Carney critique that the middle powers need to work together to counter the rise of great powers – the US and China, he distances.
He is, if you like, making pragmatic choices to find favour with the big beast nations – be it on Jimmy Lai, or the building of a super embassy for China, or allowing Trump to troll him on a variety of subjects according to his fancy. Starmer keeps his head down and ploughs on.
His supporters say this pragmatism delivers results, be it a better trade deal with the US, or the prospect of great investment and trade with the world’s second-biggest economy China.
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His detractors argue that the UK is supine and the prime minister is leaving his country to the mercy of much bigger powers.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sees a third way.
“Great powers can afford, for now, to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity and the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not. The middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” he told the annual Davos summit earlier this month.
As Trump comes for Carney – his recent visit to China and narrow trade deals prompted Trump to threaten 100% tariffs – Starmer ducks for cover.
When I asked him in Shanghai whether he agreed with Carney’s critique of the shifting global order, well he does not.
“I’ve talked to Mark Carney a lot, but we’re living in a very volatile world.
“My compass is always the national interest of the United Kingdom, and I’m very clear that that means that we maintain and build on our close relationship with the US; that we build a stronger and closer relationship with Europe, but that we also are confident and engaging outwardly and that means with China.”
“I take the view that it’s in the UK’s national interest to maintain our relationship with the US.
“It’s close on defence, security, intelligence, actually on trade and prosperity as well.
“On Europe, I want to do more on defence and security and one trade. But on the outgoing world, I mean China as well. We need to be outward, engaging. And that’s been the stance of the government since the beginning.”
As Starmer tows a line, Trump is rattled by the behaviour of allies.
“I think its very dangerous for them to do that,” he said when asked about the UK seeking closer ties with China.
But he reserved most of his ire for Canada: “It’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China. Canada is not doing well. They’re doing very poorly, and you can’t look at China as the answer.”
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But the UK is looking to China as part of the answer as it deepens trade ties, and the three-day tour was an exercise in trying to put differences aside as Starmer seeks a reset that the UK needs more than Beijing.
Starmer comes away from China with sanctions on six parliamentarians, barred from visiting China for speaking out on human rights issues, lifted. There is a tariff cut on whiskey imports from 10% to 5%, and the deal in principle for visa-free travel for up to 30 days – a big win for business.
It is, the No 10 delegation says, “not a one-and-done trip”, but the beginning of a deeper reset.
The prime minister told me that he hoped President Xi would visit in the UK in 2027 when it hosts the G20. It will be the first time in over 10 years that the Chinese leader has set foot on British soil.
But the reasons for freezing relations remain.
For all the warm handshakes and words, there are deep differences and areas of discomfort between Britain’s democracy and China’s autocracy.
Rifts between the two nations were in part caused in response to China’s crackdown in Hong Kong.
The imprisonment of British pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai remains a contentious issue. Keir Starmer says he raised the matter with President Xi.
When I asked if he specifically raised Lai’s name, he said yes. But as for Lai’s release, the PM said he wouldn’t get into the deals.
“I am absolutely clear about, the raising, the manner in which we raised it and the importance of raising it. What you can’t do is sit back at home with your head in the sand saying, I’m not going to talk to you…if you’re just sitting outside the room, refuse to engage, you can’t even have the conversation.”
But there are plenty of opponents back home who disagree with the engagement.
Nusrat Ghani, one of the five MPs sanctioned in 2021, posted on X: “MPs agreed that the Chinese Communist Party was orchestrating a genocide against the Uyghur people. The sanctions were meant to intimidate us MPs and prevent us from doing our jobs without fear or favour. Bartering our MP sanctions doesn’t change those facts nor help others in the UK targeted by CCP and sanctioned by them.”
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has also been highly critical, concerned about national security, the crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong and Chinese “undermining” of the UK economy – be it through cheap Chinese goods that undermine British manufacturing, overreliance on Chinese technology or Chinese influence in critical infrastructure.
So when the UK hailed a $15bn (£12bn) investment in AstraZeneca on the trip over, having paused a £200m investment at a Cambridge research site last September which was due to create 1,000 jobs, shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith was blunt in his assessment.
“AstraZeneca’s a great British company but under this government it’s investing everywhere in the world other than its UK home. When we are losing investment to communist China, alarm bells should be ringing in No 10 Downing Street.”
Others ask what has he actually come back with? He has not secured the scale of trade deals struck by PM Carney, and I am told by one person in the UK delegation that after Britain’s snub of President Xi, it will take some time to rebuild ties.
But for Starmer, the prize is deepening economic ties, more investment and trade.
For a British prime minister struggling to grow this economy, drumming up more business with the world’s second largest economy – even if you don’t much like its political system, or choice of allies such as Russia – can be chalked up as a win.
You can perhaps swallow some of that if you can agree, as Starmer did on Thursday, to launch a “feasibility study” on a bilateral services pact.
The UK had a £10bn surplus in services with China in the year to last June. It is a market ripe for growth.
For this former human rights lawyer turned self-avowed pragmatist, drumming up business will both take priority over obvious differences around human rights, espionage and China’s continued support of Russia during the years of war in Ukraine.
Carney argues that middle powers need to push back the superpowers, but Starmer seems happy to try to comply. It matters less to him if he is at the mercy of the US or China, if it means he can help deliver back home.
The Chinese will next month welcome in the year of the horse in 2026, a creature which in their zodiac represents action, speed and breakthrough.
Starmer is going to need all of that in spades if he is to usher in a year that will cut the cost of living back home.
He will leave Shanghai with the hope that this visit might help – but it’s going to require a lot more work, not just with Beijing, but with his other superpower too.
