Donald Trump warned the United Kingdom against increasing business ties with China, coinciding with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to Shanghai. The former U.S. president's comments came after agreements were announced aimed at bolstering business and investment between the UK and China, following Starmer's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to BBC Business.
Trump, speaking at a documentary premiere about his wife Melania, referred to Xi as a "friend" and said he knew the Chinese president "very well," BBC Business reported. He stated it was "very dangerous" for the UK to engage in business with China.
Starmer's visit to China marked the clearest indication of a potential reset in economic relations between the two countries, after what has been described as a diplomatic "ice age," according to the BBC. Both leaders are facing economic pressures domestically and are seeking new opportunities for trade and investment.
For Starmer, the first UK prime minister to visit China since Theresa May in 2018, the trip was an opportunity to showcase the strength of British firms in sectors such as finance, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, clean energy, and car manufacturing, the BBC reported. President Xi Jinping aimed to demonstrate that China can be a reliable partner for Western economies.
In other news, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned advertisements from cryptocurrency firm Coinbase, finding they "trivialised the risks of cryptocurrency," which is largely unregulated in the UK, according to BBC Technology. The ASA upheld complaints against a series of Coinbase ads in August that depicted the UK in disrepair alongside a satirical slogan and the exchange's logo. The ads implied crypto could ease people's cost of living concerns. Coinbase stated it disagreed with the watchdog's decision, according to BBC Technology.
Meanwhile, in Canada, the premier of British Columbia, David Eby, accused separatist activists in Alberta of treason for allegedly holding covert meetings with members of Donald Trump's administration, according to The Guardian. Eby told reporters that seeking foreign assistance in breaking up Canada was "treason."
In UK politics, the Green party is expected to announce its candidate for the upcoming byelection in the Greater Manchester constituency of Gorton and Denton, according to The Guardian. The byelection is widely considered a referendum on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose approval rating has reportedly declined.
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