Keir Starmer will reportedly visit China next week after controversial plans for Beijing to build a vast embassy in London were approved by his government.
The UK prime minster will lead a delegation of blue-chip British companies, according to Reuters. The same firms, which include BP, HSBC, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce were also said to be among those who will join a revamped “UK-China CEO council”.
There was no comment from Downing Street early on Wednesday. However, Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser, went to Beijing in November for talks with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, before an anticipated trip by Starmer.
The developments come amid turbulence surrounding the move towards building ties with China again, including a furore last year around the abandonment last year of charges against two men accused of spying for Beijing.
The path for Starmer’s visit was also cleared last week when Britain’s communities secretary, Steve Reed, gave permission for China to build its new embassy near the Tower of London after spy chiefs told him that the risks to UK national security could be controlled and dealt with.
However, local residents near the Royal Mint Court site have raised the £145,000 required to pay for lawyers to seek a challenge to the planning decision. They are expected to file an application for judicial review in the next six weeks, most likely alleging that Reed had already made up his mind without properly considering all the evidence.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday that Beijing had handled planning for a new UK embassy in full compliance with international diplomatic practices and relevant laws and regulations. Providing support and construction of diplomatic premises is the host country’s international obligation, Guo Jiakun told reporters at a regular press conference.
Britain’s delicate handling of relations with China also comes against the backdrop of the ongoing diplomatic crisis surrounding Greenland. The US president, Donald Trump, has claimed that the territory needs to become American to protect against a security threat in the Arctic from China and Russia.
The UK-China CEO council was originally conceived by Britain’s then prime minister Theresa May and China’s then premier Li Keqiang in 2018, during a period of relations which May and others described as “a golden era”.
The Chinese side should be represented by Bank of China, China Construction Bank, China Mobile, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and others, Reuters reported.
The last UK prime minister to visit China was May in 2018. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, travelled to China with a business delegation in January and unveiled £600m in investment. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, and Peter Kyle, the trade secretary, have also visited China for talks over the past year. Senior Chinese government figures made several visits to the UK in the same period.
