# What does Starmer want to achieve in China?

An episode of [Coffee House Shots](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1101754136), 27 Jan 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68359028e1abc4be6b032cd1/e/6978f9919b5ca1c75cc96bda/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=EpHuF4BFzzkVywwmocduCdGbr7LLqLV26uO9qVtUhgY

Keir Starmer lands in China tonight as he becomes the first British Prime Minister to visit since Theresa May in 2018. Sam Hogg from the Oxford China Policy Lab and James Heale join Patrick Gibbons to assess the UK-China relationship right now, what Labour is hoping to get from the visit and whether there are risks for Starmer as well as rewards. Is the tight rope Starmer is walking between the UK & China a sign of weakness, or an extension of a pragmatic 'Starmerite' foreign policy? Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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