Photo: Screenshot from media reports

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday it would be foolish for Britain not to engage with China, rejecting the assertion from US President Donald Trump that it was dangerous to get into business with Beijing, Reuters reported. Starmer also added in a causal tone that Trump himself was also set to visit China in April.

In the interview with Sky News, when asked whether he's really not worried by Trump's claim regarding "it's very dangerous for you to be doing business with China," Starmer said "I think I'm right in saying that President Trump is expected to visit China himself in April."

Starmer also refuted Trump's claims, saying that "it would be foolhardy to simply say we will ignore (China)," Reuters reported. Starmer also highlighted French President Emmanuel Macron's recent visit and a planned trip by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"For the UK to be the only country that refuses to engage would not be in our national interest," he said, Reuters reported.

Starmer also noted the smoothness of the discussions during this visit to China, saying "this trip has been a big success and you only need to spend five minutes with the business delegates on the trip to get a sense of what it means for our economy back at home." 

It's been a big success in the sense of the opening up of markets, but (it has) also given us the opportunity to raise the issues that people would have expected me to raise, Starmer added.

However, when asked by the anchor about "Do you believe President Trump when he says things like this? He blows hot and cold," Starmer sidestepped a direct answer to the question. He said "We understand each other," adding that "relationship between our two countries is hugely important.

Speaking to Fox News while traveling to Florida for the premiere of first lady Melania Trump's documentary, Trump was asked about the UK "getting into business with China."

"Well, it's very dangerous for them to do that," Trump claimed, per Fox News. Trump also claimed that China was not the solution for Western economies, the report added.

But in the interview, Trump also mentioned he "knows China very well," according to the report.

In response to a question about Trump's claims, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Friday that "China is ready to strengthen cooperation with all countries in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes to benefit the peoples of all nations."

In addition, UK Trade Minister Sir Chris Bryant also counterattacked Trump's claims.  He said Trump's assessment is "wrong," added that it would be "absolutely bonkers" for the UK not to engage with China after Trump criticized Starmer's visit to the country, BBC reported.


Global Times