While UK officials continued reset talks to the European Union in London and Brussels, Starmer spent the week schmoozing president Xi Jinping in China. Starmer must be nimble as he seeks to deepen ties in Brussels and Beijing, while keeping Washington onside. That might require concessions to the EU from Starmer on the movement of EU workers. China's president, Xi Jinping, and British prime minister Keir Starmer at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing earlier this week. Starmer, however, has his eyes on the upside: “Businesses have been crying out for ways to grow their footprints in China.

Source: The Irish Times January 30, 2026 15:03 UTC