Avtal mellan Storbritannien och Kina visar begränsningarna för att vända sig bort från USA | NTD NYHETER

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China marks the latest achievement Beijing can highlight in its rivalry with Washington The agreements Starmer brought back illustrate just how difficult it is for middle-sized powers like the United Kingdom and Canada to strike a balance between the United States and China Canada's Mark Carney concluded a trade agreement during a similar visit just a few weeks ago Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European leaders have also made the journey The message they are trying to send to Washington is simple: we have alternatives This would be the case if Trump continues threatening to impose trade tariffs over issues similar to his plan to take control of Greenland Economists warn however that shifting toward China comes with clear limitations Alicia Garciarero chief economist for Asia-Pacific at Natixis describes the visits as superficial gestures during a period of sluggish global growth China's consumer demand remains weak Imports remained flat last year at around 2.6 trillion dollars primarily consisting of energy and raw materials rather than Western goods At the same time China's trade surplus reached a record high of 1.2 trillion dollars The country's manufacturers have responded to Trump's tariffs by flooding other markets with goods at the expense of domestic producers The agreement that Britain reached in Beijing made headlines Visa-free entry for British travelers to China reduced tariffs on Scotch whisky and multibillion-dollar investments for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca On sensitive issues such as China's relationship with Russia the threat to Taiwan and political repression in Hong Kong Starmer received nothing but direct dialogue At home critics have raised allegations of espionage and human rights violations claims that Beijing denies Last year China's exports to the United Kingdom increased by 7.8% while China's imports from the United Kingdom decreased by 4.7% Eswar Prasad former China chief at the International Monetary Fund says it's a risky strategy for countries seeking to protect or develop their own manufacturing industries to deepen trade integration with China