Summary  4

1 Relations under previous governments and Labour party policy in opposition  6

1.1 Relationship under the Conservative government  6

1.2 Labour Party in opposition  7

2 Diplomatic engagement and ministerial visits  9

2.1 Keir Starmer's January 2026 visit to China  9

2.2 Previous visits of senior ministers and officials to China  15

2.3 UK-based diplomatic initiatives  16

2.4 Reactivated and new bilateral economic institutions  17

2.5 Government speeches and comments on China policy  18

2.6 Plans for China's new embassy  20

3 Government reviews and parliamentary scrutiny  24

3.1 June 2025 Strategic Defence Review  24

3.2 June 2025 National Security Strategy  25

3.3 China audit June 2025  26

3.4 Other strategies: Critical minerals and trade  28

3.5 Parliamentary scrutiny of the UK China relationship under the Labour government  29

4 China as a state threat and the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme  30

4.1 The National Security Act 2023 and the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme  30

5 Analysis and further reading on UK-China relations  32