A Labour minister has hit again at feedback from President Donald Trump that buying and selling with China was “very harmful” for the UK.
Sir Chris Bryant, who has served as commerce minister since September 2025, mentioned it will be “completely bonkers” for the UK to not do enterprise with China.
“It’s important to problem China on the problems the place we disagree with them and however you must face the truth that China is a significant energy on the earth,” Bryant instructed Sky Information on Friday morning.
He pointed to China having the world’s second largest financial system and the fourth largest export market.
“It will be completely bonkers to the UK to not interact with China,” he mentioned.
It follows President Trump sending a agency warning to Starmer as he headed for his three-day journey to Beijing in a bid to reset China and UK commerce relations.
“It’s very harmful for them to do this,” Trump mentioned when questioned on the transfer on the premiere of a documentary about his spouse Melania. However Bryant hit immediately again stating Trump was “mistaken”.
“I say this exactly as a result of, other than the rest, he himself mentioned in his personal assertion that he’s a buddy with President Xi, and as I perceive it, President Trump goes to China himself in April,” he added.
Metropolis in unease over new China tremendous embassy
Starmer has been accompanied by a delegation of 60 British companies and cultural organisations.
The Prime Minister has mentioned companies are “crying out for methods” to export to Chinese language markets after he struck a brand new deal for British travellers.
He introduced a string of offers with China, together with getting Britons visa-free journey to China when visiting for fewer than 30 days.
However the go to has include deep competition following criticism throughout political benches within the Commons over threats to nationwide safety.
Chinese language officers are believed to have hacked the telephones of key authorities officers, in keeping with The Telegraph.
Hackers focused high aides to UK prime ministers together with Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, intelligence sources instructed the newspaper, as a part of the state-sponsored operation referred to as Salt Storm.
The Labour authorities have additionally acquired criticism for giving the inexperienced mild to a Chinese language ‘tremendous embassy’ within the Metropolis of London, which has amplified safety fears.
Former No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings mentioned that Chinese language hackers had gained entry to delicate recordsdata whereas safety specialists warned that the approval of a brand new Chinese language embassy on the historic Royal Mint Courtroom website would pose dangers to cables connecting the Metropolis of London to Canary Wharf.
