British PM heads to China, says ignoring world’s 2nd-largest economy makes no sense

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening for a visit aimed at strengthening political and business ties with China as relations between Western countries and the US become more volatile, Reuters writes.

On the plane to China for the first visit by a British leader since 2018, Starmer said the country cannot afford to ignore the economic opportunities presented by China, the world’s second-largest economy, while it must remain vigilant about potential security threats.

“It doesn’t make sense to stick our head in the ground and bury it in the sand when it comes to China, it’s in our interests to engage,” he said. “It’s going to be a really important trip for us and we’ll make some real progress.”

Travelling with a delegation of more than 50 business leaders, Starmer will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday before travelling to Shanghai on Friday for talks with local executives.