Trump said it's dangerous for Starmer to get into business with Beijing

After meeting with President Xi Jinping yesterday, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer lauded the economic benefits of resetting relations with China.

Starmer addressed UK and Chinese businesses, cultural leaders and Bank of China employees at the UK-China Business Forum in Beijing this morning before travelling to Shanghai.

This as U.S. President Donald Trump said it was dangerous for Britain to be getting into business with Beijing.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer told attendees at the Forum that Thursday's bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang made some real progress.

"This is a historic trip because this is the first time in eight years that a British prime minister has been here on Chinese soil. We've had key bilaterals yesterday with President Xi and also Premier Li. Very warm, very good meetings, just the level of engagement that we hoped for on behalf of both our countries, to develop that comprehensive and strategic partnership that is both long term and consistent."

Starmer also announced a big reduction of tariffs on whiskey and visa free travel to China for British citizens. "The U.K. has got a huge amount to offer, and I was able to set that out. And as a result of our engagement we've halved the tariffs on whiskey and also got visa free travel to China for Brits. So really important access symbolic of what we're doing with the relationship."

The UK-China Business Council resumed its work Thursday in Beijing after an eight-year pause, with more than 60 British companies and 50 Chinese firms sitting down for direct talks on trade, investment and industrial cooperation.

The China-UK goods trade now rivals the UK's trade with some of its closest traditional partners and exceeds Britain's trade with many G7 economies.

For some executives, Starmer's visit marks not just a normalisation of business relations but signals a deep commitment from businesses on both sides.

AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot announcing a 100 billion yuan investment in China over the next four years.

U.S. President Donald Trump was asked about the British prime minister's visit to China.

(Reporter) What do you think about the UK getting into business with China? Keith Starmer was in Beijing.

"Well it's very dangerous for them to do that," Trump said.