Starmer heads to China to boost relations

Trip comes as Trump rattles global order

- 

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer receives a bouquet of flowers at an airport in Beijing, yesterday.

(REUTERS)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer began a three-day visit to China yesterday, where he will defend London's “pragmatic” partnership with the Asian giant after years of frought relations.

The visit is the first by a UK prime minister since 2018 and follows a string of Western leaders courting Beijing in recent weeks, pivoting from a mercurial United States.

Mr Starmer will also make a brief stop in Japan to meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the trip is an opportunity to show Beijing can be a reliable partner at a time when President Donald Trump's policies have rattled historic ties between Washington and its Western allies.

Mr Starmer, who is battling record low popularity polls and hopes the visit can boost Britain's beleaguered economy, arrived in Beijing around 5pm Beijing time yesterday.