Starmer's China Visit: When Economics Trumps Human Rights

210,000 Hong Kongers now call Britain home. This week, many are watching Keir Starmer's China visit with growing unease.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves are visiting China this week—the first such trip by a British PM since 2018. While officially focused on boosting economic ties, the visit raises uncomfortable questions about whether Britain is abandoning its commitment to Hong Kong in pursuit of trade deals.

The Mega-Embassy That Sparked Outrage

Earlier this month, the British government approved plans for a Chinese mega-embassy in central London. Despite seven years of sustained protests from local residents, Hong Kongers, and dissident groups, the Labour government gave the green light to what critics call a potential hub for transnational repression.

The decision sends a clear message: economic cooperation with China takes precedence over human rights concerns. While local residents scramble to raise funds for a legal challenge, the Labour government's priorities have been laid bare.

This isn't just about planning permission. The embassy represents a physical manifestation of Beijing's expanding influence in Britain, potentially serving as a base for monitoring and intimidating dissidents who've sought refuge in the UK.

Bounties and Threats: The Reality of Transnational Repression

The threats facing Hong Kongers in Britain aren't hypothetical. Hong Kong authorities maintain multimillion-dollar bounties on 34 overseas pro-democracy activists. These aren't symbolic gestures—they're having real-world consequences.

In February 2025, two relatives of UK-based activist Carmen Lau were questioned by national security police in Hong Kong. By October, the intimidation had reached British soil: Lau's neighbors received threatening letters instructing them to hand her over to authorities in exchange for her bounty.

The UK acknowledged these incidents in its latest six-monthly Hong Kong report. But acknowledgment without action amounts to empty words. These reports should form the basis for concrete consequences, not bureaucratic box-ticking exercises.

Jimmy Lai: A Test Case for British Values

Perhaps no case better illustrates Britain's dilemma than that of Jimmy Lai. The British citizen remains in solitary confinement in Hong Kong, with his family and legal team increasingly concerned he may die in prison following his conviction under the National Security Law.

Hong Kong Watch and 17 other human rights organizations wrote an open letter to Starmer ahead of his visit, urging him to "set out to Beijing clear, robust and practical consequences for China and for UK-China relations if he [Lai] is not released." A cross-party letter from 34 MPs and Peers echoes this call.

Lai isn't alone. Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan, and Albert Ho are currently on trial for organizing peaceful Tiananmen Square Massacre vigils in Hong Kong. Their plight represents a broader crackdown on civil liberties that Britain once promised to defend.

The Former Human Rights Lawyer's Dilemma

Starmer's background as a human rights lawyer makes his current position particularly striking. The man who once championed justice in courtrooms now faces criticism for prioritizing economic interests over the very principles he once defended.

The contrast is stark. Britain's recent outrage over Donald Trump's dismissive remarks about British troops in Afghanistan (despite his subsequent backtracking) stands in sharp relief to its accommodating stance toward China's systematic human rights violations.

This approach doesn't just compromise British values—it potentially heightens risks to the UK's domestic and foreign security apparatus. When economic interests consistently override security concerns, the long-term costs may far exceed short-term gains.