Warming Relations Between London and Beijing

Facing a widening rift in relations with the United States, many leaders have begun to turn toward warming ties with China. For example, Canadian President Mark Carney gained media attention for reprimanding the United States to respect Canadian sovereignty while reaching key trade agreements with China. 

Canada is not alone in signalling a potential switch of allegiance. The United Kingdom and China have also been seeing a warming in relations. In late January, the British government approved Chinese plans for a “mega embassy” in London. Negotiations over the 215,000 square-foot complex, which would be China's largest European embassy, began in 2018. However, the embassy’s location amidst London’s financial district raised concerns about Chinese spying via fiber-optic cables, sparking protests by the British public. 

The embassy’s approval came directly before British Prime Minister Keir Starmer departed for Beijing with the goal of “resetting” relations between the two nations. Keir Starmer is the first British Prime Minister to visit China since Conservative PM Theresa May’s visit in 2018. Stramer’s visit follows a trend of warming relations between Western Europe and China. Mostl recently, French President Emmunal Macron visited China, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also announcing plans to visit China. 

Starmer’s first order of business upon landing in Beijing was to sort out UK-China trade. As Starmer professed that it would be “foolhardy to simply [...] ignore (China),” the two nations agreed to multiple new trade agreements. Among them included: China agreed to cut tariffs on British whisky, UK-based pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca committed to investing $15 billion into China and major Chinese EV maker Chery announced plans to open research and development headquarters in Liverpool. 

American President Donald Trump has been wary of the growing closeness between key US allies and China. Following the recent thaw in trade relations between Ottawa and Beijing, and fallout at Davos, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Canada if it made any comprehensive trade deal with China. Perhaps in response to such American hostility, Keir Starmer has further moved away from dependence on Washington. On Saturday, after his visit to China, he met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and agreed to accelerate cooperation on cybersecurity and critical minerals.   

Beyond trade deals, London and Beijing agreed to allow British citizens to travel to China visa-free for short trips and to cooperate on a host of subjects from education to finance. Perhaps most controversially, however, was China’s promise to lift sanctions on British lawmakers. In 2021, President Xi Jinping placed sanctions on a group of members of the parliament for spreading “lies and disinformation” about China’s treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang Autonomous Region.  

This highlights the persistent ideological and humanitarian concerns faced by Western nations seeking closer relations with China. However, such qualms may be pushed aside as former US allies are forced to contend with an increasingly capricious Washington in the shifting global order.  

Read more here:

• BBC Global News Podcast

• Sophie Inge et al, Politico

• Sam Hananel, Center for American Progress