Description: Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Beijing as the leaders discussed ongoing bilateral issues, expanding economic ties and working towards retracting relations towards diplomatically warmer climate. The three – day visit by the UK Prime Minister arrives after recent turbulations between European countries and the US over Greenland and the ongoing trade war that has consistently shifted and reshaped global trade ties. The UK and China had recently resolved the issue of China’s new embassy in London, however, concerns of security and intelligence risks still persist. The UK Prime Minister in his delegation included more than 50 business executives as deals and agreements of cooperation with Chinese companies remained at the forefront of the agenda.
Impact: China continues to exploit the conditioning and transactional nature of US foreign policy measures to begin to repair and reestablish relations with Europe and other western allies. UK’s pivot towards a country with which it had ambiguous relations emphasizes the desperation on the global stage in terms of strategic alliances and stable trade and economic ties. The meeting is a significant diplomatic flashpoint that signals gradual reorientation in foreign policy by western countries such as Canada, the EU bloc and now the UK, from traditionally stable relations with the US towards the pursuit of strategic alternatives in countries that are considered adversarial. The configuration of global international ties could have a long-lasting impact and reshape global trade and strategic alliances away from the domain of US influence.