British PM Starmer arrives in Shanghai as he looks to boost UK business opportunities

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the Chinese financial centre of Shanghai on Friday (January 30, 2026) in his bid to boost business opportunities for U.K. firms in the world’s second-largest economy, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a possible opposition to any deal between Beijing and London.

Mr. Starmer has brought more than 50 business leaders on his trip to China, the first by a British Prime Minister in eight years.

He started his trip in Beijing, where he met Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping. The two pledged to pursue a long-term and stable strategic partnership, in what was seen as a sign of improving ties after several years of friction between the two countries.

In Washington, Mr. Trump suggested he may oppose any deal, and then pivoted to Canada, with which he has had a series of sharp exchanges since Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China earlier this month.

“Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that,” he said when asked about Mr. Starmer’s visit and any U.K. trade talks with Beijing. “And 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.”

“You can’t look at China as the answer,” he said.

Mr. Starmer and Mr. Carney are among a series of foreign leaders visiting Beijing as their nations seek to improve ties with China. Many have seen their countries’ economies buffeted by Mr. Trump’s tariffs and are looking to expand other export markets.