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China has criticised UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer after he warned that Beijing poses a risk to Britain’s national security, while at the same time expressing a desire to strengthen engagement with the Asian power.
Relations between London and Beijing have remained tense despite efforts by the new British government to turn the page. Long-standing disputes over alleged spying and concerns about the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong continue to cloud ties between the two countries.
Starmer, who became the first UK prime minister in more than six years to meet President Xi Jinping in November 2024, appeared eager at the time to signal a thaw. However, speaking at the Lady Mayor’s Banquet in London on Monday, he struck a more cautious tone, stating that China represented “a genuine threat” to British security and reaffirming that the UK would keep pressing Beijing on human rights.
In a swift response, China’s embassy in London accused the prime minister of making false and baseless claims.
“We firmly reject the British side’s remarks which level unfounded accusations against China and interfere in Chinese domestic matters,” the embassy said in a statement. It insisted that China’s rise endangered no other nation and described Starmer’s comments as misguided.
Despite the clear warning, Starmer said the UK could no longer afford inconsistent policies towards Beijing. Calling the absence of sustained relations with China a failure of responsibility, he argued that Britain needed a more realistic and balanced approach.
“You can engage and trade with a country while also protecting your own national interests,” he said, adding that cooperation was still possible in areas such as trade, artificial intelligence, climate action and nuclear non-proliferation.
At the same time, he pledged to strengthen Britain’s security defences, saying law enforcement and intelligence agencies would receive additional tools to counter what he described as risks linked to China.
British security services previously claimed that Chinese intelligence agents had used fake recruitment approaches to target UK politicians online. Those warnings followed the collapse of a high-profile case involving two men accused of spying on behalf of China, including a former parliamentary aide. Prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges, and Beijing denied any involvement.
A separate controversy has also emerged over plans for a large new Chinese embassy in central London, which have generated unease among politicians and campaigners. The UK government is expected to rule on the proposal by 10 December.
Starmer also confirmed that Britain would continue to challenge China on human rights, including concerns over political freedoms in Hong Kong.
Beijing rejected that stance, with its embassy arguing that Britain had no authority to comment on Hong Kong, describing it as strictly a Chinese internal matter.
