London (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The UK government has proposed a visit by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Beijing and Shanghai from January 29-31, as revealed by two sources familiar with the plan, Reuters reported.
Starmer accused Britain’s previous Conservative government of neglecting their duty in managing a worsening relationship with China.
He stated on Monday that since 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron has visited China twice, and German leaders have visited four times, whereas the last British leader to visit was former Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018.
On the other hand, the trip might be delayed if Beijing considers the slow approval of China’s controversial plan to construct an embassy in London as a major political setback, making leaders hesitant to meet. One source mentioned that a decision might be reached by the end of this week.
Why has Britain postponed the embassy ruling for a third time?
Britain postponed its decision on the embassy for the third time on Tuesday, now expected to decide by January 20 whether the project can proceed. Worries that the new embassy might serve as a spying hub have led politicians in Britain and the U.S. to call on their governments to stop Beijing’s plans.
Starmer also cautioned that China presents “national security threats” to Britain, but he emphasised that strengthening economic links aligns with the country’s interests. Opposition politicians have urged the government to halt the plans due to the nearby strategic fibre-optic cables running beneath the site.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the delay was because those ministries had provided views on “particular” security implications of approving the embassy, and a decision should not be taken until they had been considered.
China’s plans to build a new embassy on the site of a two-century-old building near the Tower of London have been delayed for three years due to opposition from local residents, lawmakers, and Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates in Britain.
In 2018, the Chinese government bought the site for the new embassy at Royal Mint Court, but the local council rejected the planning permission requests. Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping asked Starmer to intervene.
When was the last time the British Prime Minister visited China?
Theresa May, as British Prime Minister, conducted her first and only official visit to China from January 31 to February 2, 2018, meeting President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing to advance trade deals worth billions and discuss the “golden era” of UK-China relations.
Discussions focused on strengthening the “golden era” of bilateral relations initiated under David Cameron, with deals signed worth at least £9 billion in sectors like education, finance, aviation, and smart cities, alongside talks on trade, Belt and Road cooperation, climate change, Hong Kong, and intellectual property.
