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China calling
The Guardian Weekly
|February 06, 2026
After the ice age, the thaw - but what dangers lie beneath?
The last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018.
Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras having been placed in their hotel rooms to record compromising material.
Keir Starmer, in Beijing last week, was more sanguine about his privacy. China has been accused of spying on parliament, has sanctioned British MPs and peers, engaged in cyber-attacks, adopted aggressive trade practices and has been, in the government's own words, an "epoch-defining challenge".
“I can confirm that I didn’t,” Starmer replied to whether he had taken refuge while getting dressed. “I’ve always said that we need to seize the opportunities, mindful of our national security.”
This story is from the February 06, 2026 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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