As Trump’s tariffs strain ties, UK and Canada engage China, raising questions over whether the US is losing key allies. Photos: X.
The partnership between the US and Europe is taking a serious hit under Donald Trump. Since Trump was elected for a second term, the NATO allies have been moving towards a new global order, with allies like the UK and Canada now courting China for trade and diplomacy.
After the Canadian Prime Minister visited China, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a three-day visit. He is accompanied by a high-level business delegation. The trip marks the first visit by a British prime minister to China in nearly eight years.
The visit comes at a time of growing friction between the United States and several of its traditional allies under President Donald Trump.
Starmer defended the decision to engage with the world’s second-largest economy, while acknowledging ongoing security concerns about China.
“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.
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“It’s going to be a really important trip for us, and we’ll make some real progress.”
He later told members of the U.K. business and culture delegation that they were “making history,” underlining the economic potential of renewed engagement.
“It’s in our national interest to engage with China,” Starmer said, describing the relationship as one that offered “huge opportunities.”
“Of course, we will have to manage our differences,” he added.
Starmer’s outreach to China comes as global trade has been disrupted by US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, prompting many governments to rethink their economic strategies.
Both Britain and China have been affected by US tariffs and are now seeking to diversify export markets and strengthen supply chains. Canada has taken a similar approach, with Prime Minister Mark Carney making a trip to China earlier this month to pursue expanded trade and investment opportunities.
Canada’s engagement with China has not been without controversy. Trump has threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian goods if Ottawa finalises a trade deal with Beijing, prompting a swift response from Carney.
Canada and China have reached a preliminary agreement to reduce tariffs on electric vehicles and agricultural products. However, Carney has made it clear that Canada has no intention of pursuing a full free trade agreement with China.
Carney’s Beijing visit came shortly before he delivered a pointed speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which included thinly veiled criticism of Trump. The US president later threatened steep tariffs on Canada if a bilateral accord proceeds, although the remarks appeared in one of Trump’s often exaggerated social media posts.
Starmer’s visit is part of a broader diplomatic push by China, which has extended invitations to multiple international leaders after several years of limited foreign engagement, particularly during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Delegations from France, South Korea, Ireland and Finland all visited China over the winter. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is scheduled to travel to Beijing at the end of February.
The renewed diplomatic activity follows a tariff and trade dispute between China and the United States last year, which ended with Beijing securing a relatively quick US climbdown. It also comes ahead of Trump’s own planned visit to China, currently scheduled for early April.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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