Trump Says Starmer’s Trade Deals With China Are ‘Very Dangerous’ for Britain

Jan 31, 2026 - 10:56

Updated: 4 months ago

Trump Says Starmer’s Trade Deals With China Are ‘Very Dangerous’ for Britain

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned Keir Starmer of the dangers of doing business with China, after the British prime minister signed a series of agreements with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Starmer on Thursday said he wanted a “more sophisticated relationship” with China, and signed deals to lower tariffs on Scottish whisky exports to China and allow British citizens to visit the country visa-free for up to 30 days.

When reporters asked Trump about the UK–China deals, he said, “Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that.”

He was speaking during the premiere of the movie “Melania” at the Kennedy Center in Washington on Thursday, but did not go into more detail.

“To all world leaders meeting with Xi Jinping: China sells nothing but cheap products and cheap friendships,” the Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee said on X.

UK Exports to China ‘Unlikely’

“The Chinese are the greatest exporters and they are very, very difficult when you’re trying to export to them,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters on Thursday, “So good luck if the British are trying to export to China ... it’s just unlikely.”

Asked if Trump would slap tariffs on Britain, Lutnick said: “Unless the prime minister of Britain sort of takes on the United States and says very difficult things, I doubt it.”

Trump said on Jan. 22 that he will visit China in April, and expects Xi to visit the United States later this year.

Last week, he threatened to impose tariffs on Canada after Prime Minister Mark Carney signed several deals on oil, gas, and lumber with China during a visit earlier this month.

In a Jan. 24 Truth Social post, Trump said Canadian goods exported stateside would incur 100 percent tariffs if Canada “makes a deal with China.”

“We can’t let Canada become an opening [for] the Chinese to pour their cheap goods into the U.S.,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told ABC News during a Jan. 25 interview.

Chris Bryant, UK minister of state for trade policy, said Trump was “wrong” to say that it was dangerous for Britain to enter into deals with China.

‘Eyes Wide Open’

“Of course, we enter into our relationship with China with our eyes wide open,” Bryant told the BBC on Friday, adding that it would be “bonkers frankly for the UK to ignore the presence of China on the world stage.”

Starmer told a meeting of the UK–China Business Forum in Beijing on Thursday that he had “very warm” meetings with Xi.

He said the whisky and visa deals were “symbolic of what we’re doing with the relationship.”

“As one of the world’s economic powerhouses, businesses have been crying out for ways to grow their footprints in China,” said Starmer in a statement.

“We’ll make it easier for them to do so—including via relaxed visa rules for short-term travel—supporting them to expand abroad, all while boosting growth and jobs at home.”

The British government says UK firms currently sell 13 billion pounds ($17.8 billion) worth of financial, legal, and educational services to China annually.

On Thursday, the British prime minister met the chief executive of Chinese auto manufacturer Chery, Yin Tongyue, to discuss the company’s plans to establish a research and development center for its commercial vehicle arm in Liverpool.

Starmer’s Labour government has struggled to deliver economic growth since winning an election in July 2024, and he has made improving relations with the world’s second-largest economy a priority.

But it comes with risks, as Trump sees China as the United States’ biggest economic rival.

“The relationship we have with the United States is one of the closest ... we hold,” Starmer told reporters on the flight to Shanghai.

Starmer, who insists he does not have to choose between China and the United States, pointed out that he had secured 150 billion pounds ($206 billion) of investment in Britain during Trump’s visit in September.

Starmer is the third prominent Western leader to visit China in recent months.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited in December, followed by Carney earlier this month.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is also due to visit next month.

Reuters contributed to this report.