US President Donald Trump warned it would be “dangerous” for the UK to do business with China, as Sir Keir Starmer touched down in Shanghai for the next leg of his trip to the country.

The Prime Minister met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday as he made the case for a “more sophisticated” relationship between the two countries.

Asked by reporters early on Friday about the UK’s efforts to strengthen economic ties with China, Mr Trump expressed disapproval.

“Well, it’s very dangerous for them to do that, and it’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China,” he said.

He added that Canada was doing “poorly” and said “you can’t look at China as the answer”.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China earlier in January as the two countries sought closer economic ties, reaching a preliminary agreement to cut tariffs on selected goods.

Mr Trump later threatened Canada with a 100% tariff on exports if Ottawa entered into a free trade agreement with China, but Mr Carney denied any such plans.

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