Visa free entry to China - a sign of a changing British relationship with China?

By Joshua Ebner

The UK government made headlines this week with a shock announcement following Keir Starmer’s state visit to China. Speaking from Beijing, Starmer announced that China would allow 30 day visa free travel to UK citizens. The announcement marked the conclusion of a diplomatic trip in which the UK and China agreed to collaborate on a number of policies, including export restrictions to combat ‘illegal immigration’ and greater investment from UK businesses in China. The decision was quickly derided by US President Donald Trump as "very dangerous". Indeed it may well be, to the US. The visa policy represents another step towards a closer relationship with China, at the expense of the US. 

The China pivot

Starmer’s trip to China was the latest part of what appears to be a significant pivot towards China. Just days earlier, China’s plans for a new ‘super embassy’ in London were approved. The UK and China have also increased trading opportunities, with Chinese brands opening new shops in the UK and tariffs on whisky imports to China cut to 5%. British-Swedish Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced that it will invest $15bn in China. Meanwhile, the EU has also been pivoting towards China. Beijing recently disclosed its trade surplus with the European bloc had widened to $300 billion in 2025. While measures have been discussed to address this balance, European states continue to seek closer ties with China. Visits to Beijing from France, Ireland, and Finland have occurred recently, while the German Chancellor is due next month. It appears that the EU, and Europe more broadly, is increasingly and rapidly seeking closer economic ties to China. 

An increasingly hostile US

A likely reason for this shift in policy is the emergence of a combative and even openly hostile US. US President Donald Trump’s economic policies have imposed significant tariffs on a number of European states, with his protectionist economic policy restricting trade with almost every major global trading partner. Trump threatened further 25% tariffs on European allies until Denmark sells Greenland to the US. This statement was met with significant criticism across Europe, with the EU and UK publicly reaffirming the sovereignty of Denmark in the face of US threats. This, among other actions, has shown the US to be an increasingly unreliable trading partner, presenting a significant opportunity for China.

What does this mean for the UK?

China is willing and increasingly seeking to develop a long-term strategic partnership with the UK. At the end of Starmer’s meeting in Beijing, he declared that the UK would build “more sophisticated” ties to China. The UK is the world's second largest exporter of services and demand from China for healthcare, financial and legal services is growing. While there remains some significant opposition from politicians and pressure groups in the UK, especially over China’s poor human rights record and continued repression of political opponents, it seems nonetheless likely that this relationship will continue to grow. In the face of an increasingly isolationist and even hostile US, the UK will seek economic ties with other countries. China is well positioned to benefit from this movement away from the US. It looks likely that visa free travel is just the beginning of a closer relationship between the two countries.