Trump reportedly says ‘very dangerous’ for UK to do business with China as Starmer seeks diplomatic reset

US President Donald Trump on Thursday reportedly He warned Britain that it would be “very dangerous” for the country to do business with China after London and Beijing announced steps to improve relations.

After years of tense relations, China and the UK are planning to develop a long-term strategic partnership following a high-stakes meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Starmer is on a four-day visit to China, the first by a British prime minister in eight years, signaling an attempt to reset bilateral relations.

According to Reuters, on the sidelines of the premiere of the movie “Melania” at the Kennedy Center, Trump was asked to comment on Starmer’s efforts to establish business with China and said it was “too dangerous for them to do that.”

China on Thursday agreed to halve import tariffs on British whiskey from 10% to 5% and approved visa-free travel for British citizens visiting China for less than 30 days. According to Downing Street. Meanwhile, British drugmaker AstraZeneca will invest $15 billion in China by 2030 to expand drug production and research and development in the country.

Starmer brought a delegation of nearly 60 British company executives and organization leaders on this trip. He hailed the agreements on visa-free travel and reduced whiskey tariffs as “a really important reach, a symbol of what we’re doing in the relationship”.

Britain’s diplomatic shift appears to mirror that of Canada, which signed a trade deal with China earlier this month following a visit from Prime Minister Mark Carney; As Ottawa appears to be diversifying its trade and investment partners amid ongoing frictions with Washington.

According to Reuters, Trump said about Canada, “It is even more dangerous for Canada to do business with China. Canada’s situation is not very good… You cannot look to China for the answer.”

“President Xi is my friend, I know him very well… The first thing they’re going to do is tell you you’re not allowed to play ice hockey anymore. Canada isn’t going to like that,” Trump said.

Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if Ottawa reaches a trade deal with China, backtracking sharply from earlier comments that such a deal could be “a good thing.”

Before his trip to Beijing, Starmer said in an interview with Bloomberg that the UK I wouldn’t have to choose between the US and China, saying the country can continue to strengthen economic ties with Beijing without angering Trump or harming relations with the US

“We have very close relations with the United States – of course we want to – and we will continue that work, as well as security and defence,” he said.

A number of Western leaders have visited Beijing in recent weeks, seeking to establish ties with the world’s second-largest economy and counter Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy and “America First” agenda.

Earlier this month, Beijing hosted Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin; This was the first visit by an Irish leader in 14 years, along with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.