In depth: ‘There are still things the two countries can achieve together’View image in fullscreen Keir Starmer arrives with an uncertain agenda. “My overall summary of how the UK treats China is that we try to tread a middle ground,” she says. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and China was £98.4bn in 2024. On the geopolitical front, Chappell argues, China stands out in an increasingly unstable world. How often does Keir Starmer get to think with his whole brain about China?