Keir Starmer began the first visit to China by a British prime minister since 2018 on Wednesday, seeking to strengthen political and business ties with Beijing as relations between Western countries and the US become more volatile.

Starmer, whose approach to China has been criticised by some British and US politicians, said Britain must remain vigilant about potential security threats but could not afford to ignore the opportunities presented by the world's second-largest economy.

"It doesn't make sense to stick our head in the ground and bury it in the sand when it comes to China, it's in our interests to engage," he told reporters on the plane. "It's going to be a really important trip for us and we'll make some real progress."

Travelling with a delegation of more than 50 business leaders, Starmer will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Thursday before travelling to Shanghai on Friday for talks with local executives.

The visit could mark a shift in ties between Britain and China after years of deep acrimony over Beijing's crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong, China's support for Russia in the Ukraine war and allegations by British security services that China regularly spies on politicians and officials.

For China, the visit offers the country a chance to portray itself as a stable and reliable partner at a time of global disorder.

Tensions with Trump shadow Starmer's trip

European and other Western countries have engaged in a flurry of diplomacy with China as they hedge against unpredictability from the United States under President Donald Trump.

Starmer's trip follows tensions with Trump over his threats to seize Greenland, his criticism of Britain's deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago - including an island with a US-UK air base - to Mauritius, and his comments that NATO allies avoided front-line combat during the war in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Canadian goods if that country's prime minister, Mark Carney, signed a trade deal with China.

The UK leader insisted Britain could continue to strengthen economic ties with China - without angering Trump - because of his country's long history of working closely with the United States.

"The relationship we have with the US is one of the closest relationships we hold, on defence, security, intelligence and also on trade and lots of areas," he said.

Starmer was reluctant to be drawn on what he would discuss with Chinese leaders, or if he would bring up the fate of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media tycoon who was convicted in December of national security crimes.

He also declined to say whether he would ask China to pressure Russia to end its war against Ukraine.

Asked if Britain and China could strike a deal that would allow more visa-free travel, Starmer said he hoped to make some "progress" in that area.

He also distanced himself from comments made by Carney last week about middle countries working together to avoid being victimised by American hegemony.

"I'm a pragmatist, a British pragmatist applying common sense," Starmer said, rejecting the idea that his government must choose between the US and Europe.