SHANGHAI: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrapped up a four-day trip to China on Saturday, after his bid to forge closer ties prompted warnings from US President Donald Trump. Starmer’s visit was the first to China by a British prime minister in eight years, following in the footsteps of other Western leaders looking to counter an increasingly volatile United States. Leaders from France, Canada and Finland have flocked to Beijing in recent weeks, recoiling from Trump’s bid to seize Greenland and tariff threats against NATO allies.

That comes just one day after India and the EU announced a "landmark" free trade deal, as countries recalibrate supply chains and trade ties away from the U.S.

The prime minister’s trip to Beijing comes despite heightened tensions between the UK and China amid fears over a growing espionage threat and human rights concerns