Trump warns UK it is ‘too dangerous’ to do business with China as Starmer visits Shanghai

Donald Trump described it as “too dangerous” for the UK to do business with China, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Shanghai on the third day of his official visit to the country.

Trump’s comments follow the announcement of several deals aimed at increasing trade and investment between the UK and China, which were reached after Starmer met Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Speaking to reporters at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania, Trump said: “It is very dangerous” for the UK to engage economically with China, although he continued to describe Xi as a “friend” and said he knows the Chinese leader well.

Despite those comments, the US president did not continue the UK’s relationship with China, instead leveling his criticism at Canada, which he described as being in a “very dangerous” situation. Trump recently threatened tariffs on Canada following economic talks between Ottawa and Beijing.

In response, Downing Street revealed that Washington was aware of Starmer’s visit and his intentions in advance, and noted that Trump himself is expected to visit China in April.

Starmer said UK-China relations were in a “good, strong place” following talks with Xi at the Great Hall of the People. Speaking on Friday at the UK-China Business Forum held at the Bank of China in Beijing, the prime minister said the meetings had delivered “the level of engagement we had hoped for”.

“We’ve engaged warmly and are making real progress,” Starmer said. “The UK has a lot to offer.”

Among the outcomes of the visit was an agreement to introduce visa-free travel for British visitors to China, a reduction in Chinese tariffs on UK whisky, and a £10.9 billion investment by AstraZeneca to build new production facilities in China. The two sides also announced further cooperation on issues including organized crime and illegal immigration.

According to the UK Department of Business and Trade, the US was Britain’s largest single country trading partner in 2025, with China ranked fourth.

Chris Torrens, chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, described Starmer’s visit as “successful”, saying it made sense for the UK to engage with one of its biggest trading partners. He added that several Western leaders had visited Beijing recently or were planning to do so, including Trump.

Opposition MPs criticized the prime minister’s visit, citing concerns about national security and China’s human rights record. China has faced accusations from the UN of serious human rights violations against the Uyghurs and many other Muslim tribes, as well as international criticism over the handling of Hong Kong journalist Jimmy Lai.

Home Secretary Chris Philp has accused the government of “trading national security for economic crumbs”, while ministers have insisted that intelligence agencies are more involved in assessing and managing any related risks.

Starmer’s visit to China, the first by a UK prime minister since 2018, concludes in Shanghai before he moves on to Tokyo for talks with Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi, underscoring the government’s broader push to rebalance economic and diplomatic ties across Asia.