Trump Warns UK Against Doing Business with China as Starmer Arrives in Shanghai

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

The US president’s comments followed the announcement of agreements aimed at boosting trade and investment between the UK and China, made after Sir Keir’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Speaking at the premiere of a documentary about his wife Melania on Thursday, Trump referred to Xi as a “friend” and said he knew the Chinese president “very well.”

UK Business Minister Sir Chris Bryant countered Trump’s warning, calling it “wrong” and describing it as “bonkers, frankly, for the UK to ignore China’s role on the world stage.” He added, “Of course, we engage with China with our eyes wide open.” Bryant also noted that Trump is scheduled to visit China in April.

Downing Street stated that Washington had been informed in advance of Sir Keir’s trip and its objectives. At the Melania film premiere, a reporter asked Trump about UK-China business ties, to which he gave only brief remarks before pivoting to a warning about Canada. “It’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada,” Trump said, adding that the country “is not doing well” and “you can’t look at China as the answer.”

Earlier this week, Trump threatened tariffs on Canada over deals struck with China during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to Beijing.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir described the UK-China relationship as being in a “good, strong place” following his talks with Xi at the Great Hall of the People. “The meetings provided just the level of engagement we hoped for,” he said on Friday at the UK-China Business Forum in Beijing. “We warmly engaged and made real progress, because the UK has a huge amount to offer.”

Several agreements emerged from Sir Keir’s visit, including visa-free travel arrangements, lower tariffs on UK whisky, and a £10.9 billion investment by AstraZeneca to build manufacturing facilities in China. Another agreement on tackling organised crime and illegal immigration will see the UK and China share intelligence to track people-smuggling networks, noting that inflatable dinghies used in small boat crossings often contain parts sourced from China.

Other deals included cooperation to reduce red tape for UK exporters and collaboration on health challenges such as antimicrobial resistance. In 2025, the US was the UK’s largest single-country trading partner, with China ranking fourth, according to the Department for Business and Trade.

Chris Torrens, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, described Sir Keir’s visit as “successful” and said it made sense for the UK to engage China, one of its largest trading partners. He also noted that other Western leaders had recently visited Beijing or planned to do so, and highlighted that the US itself may conduct trade deals with China this year.

Sir Keir arrived in Shanghai on Friday morning, concluding his China visit before traveling to Tokyo to meet Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi for a working dinner.

The visit has drawn criticism from opposition MPs over potential risks to UK national security and concerns over Xi’s human rights record. China has faced UN accusations of serious human rights violations against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups and has been criticised over the treatment of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who is facing life imprisonment.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused Sir Keir of “kowtowing to President Xi” and trading “national security for economic crumbs off the Chinese table.” Earlier this month, the government faced similar criticism for approving China’s plans for a large new embassy in central London. Security Minister Dan Jarvis said intelligence agencies were “integral” to that decision and confirmed that any associated risks were being appropriately managed.