Starmer Says UK Will Adopt Pro-Business Approach With Beijing

The UK will adopt a more pro-business approach to China but not trade its national security for greater trade ties, Keir Starmer said as he sought to clarify his Labour administration’s approach to the Asian nation.

In his annual speech on foreign policy, Starmer said that how the UK deals with China will have more consequences for Britons than any other global shift, vowing to make it a central feature of his foreign policy. He said Britain needed a China policy that recognized the reality the Asian nation is a “defining force in technology, trade and global governance” while also posing a national security threat.