Chinese
state media views Starmer’s visit as act of economic pragmatism
PM
praised for not pressuring Xi over his ties with Putin on a trip seen as
business ‘taking precedence over politics’
Daniel
Boffey Chief reporter
Thu 29
Jan 2026 18.31 CET
Keir
Starmer’s visit to Beijing has been cautiously welcomed by Chinese state media
as an act of economic pragmatism by a beleaguered British prime minister.
The
presence of 50 business and cultural leaders with Starmer, who is the first
British prime minister to visit China in eight years, was taken as a sign that
the UK was prioritising its ailing economy over political considerations.
The
reported refusal of Starmer to confirm that he would be seen to pressure
President Xi Jinping over his relationship with his Russian counterpart,
Vladimir Putin, was seized upon by the state-owned Guancha news website.
The site
reported that the prime minister did “not take the bait” of western journalists
who may have wished to derail the visit.
Starmer
told reporters in Beijing he wanted a “more sophisticated” relationship and
announced economic agreements to make it easier for British businesses to “grow
their footprints in China”.
A social
media account affiliated with the state-owned Beijing Daily wrote: “If the
Sino-British relationship in the past few years has been characterised by
‘politics taking precedence and economics taking a backseat’, then this time it
is more like a reordering of ‘economics taking precedence and politics taking a
backseat’.”
An
account affiliated with the state outlet China.org.cn echoed that sentiment,
framing Starmer’s visit as a functional necessity driven by current pressures,
rather than a return to the “golden era” in relations heralded by David Cameron
in 2015.
The
account said: “Against the backdrop of heightened global economic uncertainty,
strengthening pragmatic cooperation between China and the UK aligns with the
practical needs of both sides.
“China is
advancing high-quality development and high-level opening up, and British
companies have significant opportunities in this process.
“Starmer’s
visit to China is not an ideological shift, but rather a rebalancing choice
under economic pressure. For the UK, it means capital, orders, and growth
momentum; for China, it means stable expectations, mutually beneficial
cooperation, and strategic leverage over Europe.
“Both
sides understand that security and other issues will not disappear, but neither
intends for them to dominate the agenda.”
The
account noted that the UK was showing a level of independence from the lead of
Donald Trump’s White House. It said: “What is certain is that London has begun
to recalculate its relationship with China, and this calculation is not
entirely based on Washington’s approach.”
Yin
Zhiguang, a professor of international politics at the school of international
relations and public affairs at Fudan University, was reported as commenting:
“This diplomatic adjustment by Britain was forced by reality, both to hedge
against the external risks brought by the Trump administration and to resolve
the internal predicament of a sluggish domestic economy and weak governance.”
A former
editor-in-chief of the state-owned outlet Global Times, Hu Xijin, also
suggested the UK’s outreach was not a result of Chinese lobbying but a reaction
to Trump’s recent behaviour on the global stage.
Research
by Lillian Yang
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