China has cut tariffs in half’: British PM Keir Starmer hails boost for UK whisky industry

BEIJING: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday highlighted major economic gains from his ongoing visit to China, pointing to fresh export and investment agreements that he said would benefit people back home in the United Kingdom.

Sharing details of the outcomes from his trip, Starmer wrote in a post on X, “I said my visit to China would deliver for British people. I meant it. We’ve now secured billions of pounds worth of export and investment deals for the UK. That includes a huge boost for our whisky industry – China has cut tariffs in half – proof that our pragmatic international engagement brings benefits to Britain. That’s why I’m here, to deliver for you back home”.

I said my visit to China would deliver for British people. I meant it.

We’ve now secured billions of pounds worth of export and investment deals for the UK.

That includes a huge boost for our whisky industry – China has cut tariffs in half – proof that our pragmatic…

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 31, 2026

These remarks came amid a series of high-level engagements during his Beijing visit. Earlier, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and both leaders affirmed their commitment to building a “long-term and strategic partnership” while maintaining open dialogue on areas of disagreement.

Expanding on the meeting, Starmer said in another post on X, “Growth at home is directly linked to our engagement with the world’s biggest powers. Today I met with President Xi in Beijing. We affirmed our shared commitment to building a long-term and strategic partnership that will benefit both our countries, while maintaining frank and open dialogue on areas of disagreement. As Prime Minister, I will always deliver in the interest of the British people”.

Following the talks, China Daily reported that President Xi emphasised cooperation with the UK in sectors such as education and finance. According to China Daily, Xi also urged joint research and industrial transformation across areas including artificial intelligence, bioscience, new energy and low-carbon technologies, underscoring Beijing’s focus on expanding collaboration.

While Starmer’s visit signals renewed engagement, Al Jazeera noted that the last trip by a UK Prime Minister to China was in 2018, when Theresa May visited Beijing. It added that relations between London and Beijing have remained strained since the political crackdown in Hong Kong following months of anti-government protests in 2019, providing context to the challenges surrounding the current outreach.

Al Jazeera further reported that another point of contention has been the prosecution of Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon and British citizen, on national security charges, which the UK has criticised. Against this backdrop, Al Jazeera said Starmer told reporters in Beijing that he raised both Lai’s case and China’s human rights record during his meeting with Xi.

“We did have a respectful discussion about that, raised those issues as you would expect … It gives us great opportunities, but it also gives us the opportunity to have those discussions about areas where we disagree,” the Prime Minister told reporters, as per Al Jazeera.

Beyond China, the UK is also navigating wider global pressures. Despite its decades-long “special relationship” with Washington, the UK has not been spared from President Donald Trump’s tariff measures. As a NATO ally, London has also expressed concern after Trump recently threatened to annex Greenland and warned that it would impose tariffs of up to 25 per cent on countries that oppose him.

In this broader international context, Starmer is also not alone among US allies in seeking to broaden economic partnerships. His visit to China follows similar engagements by French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. (ANI)