In the first visit to China by a UK leader since 2018, Starmer will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. The Chinese government sees the Starmer visit as an opportunity to advance what an official spokesman termed “pragmatic cooperation” and enhance political trust. Added to Starmer’s concerns is a complicated and increasingly fractious relationship with the White House. Starmer’s UK critics claim his government is caving under pressure from Beijing and is naive about the threat China poses to Britain’s security. The UK’s approval of a 20,000 square-metre Chinese Embassy in London, they claim, will make it easier for China to conduct espionage and intimidate dissidents.