British Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to visit China at the end of January. The aim is to improve relations and attract investment, but accusations of espionage continue to complicate them.
According to Sky News, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will pay a working visit to China at the end of January. TASR informs about it according to Thursday’s Reuters report.
Starmer’s Labor government is trying to improve relations with China to attract new foreign investment, Reuters reports. However, they continue to be affected by each other’s accusations of espionage. The last British Prime Minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018.
Starmer’s travel planning
The Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday that any travel plans for Starmer would be kept informed as usual. The visit should take place just weeks after the British government is expected to decide whether or not to approve the construction of a Chinese embassy in London.
According to critics, the new Chinese embassy represents a security threat. British counterintelligence agency MI5 issued a warning to MPs this week against attempts by Chinese agents to gather information about them and influence their activities.
Spy controversies
In September, the British prosecutor’s office stopped the prosecution of two Britons accused of spying on members of parliament for the benefit of China. It justified this by saying that the government had not provided clear evidence that Beijing posed a threat to the UK’s national security.
The halt to the investigation led to accusations from the opposition that Starmer was prioritizing improving relations with China over national security. The government rejected these claims.
