Could China become the world's policeman?

中国能成为世界的警察吗?

The Story

2026-01-30

36 分钟
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Keir Starmer is visiting China, becoming the first UK prime minister to travel to Beijing in eight years. His trip comes amid a queue of world leaders seeking meetings with Xi Jinping, as some countries look for leverage in an increasingly volatile global order. But can China be trusted as a global partner? And as the US appears to be stepping back from its role as the world’s policeman, what kind of power is China prepared to become? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest:  Cindy Yu, columnist and contributing editor at The Times & The Sunday Times.Isabel Hilton, journalist and China watcher. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Julia Webster, Harry Stott, and Sophie McNulty. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: What Keir Starmer and Xi Jinping said in China (and what they meant) Further listening: Is China’s mega-embassy a mega-spy base? Clips: BBC, World Economic Forum, CBS, APT, DRM News Photo: Getty Images. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  • From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is the story.

  • I'm Manvin Rana.

  • They say that eight days is a long time in politics.

  • Try eight years, because it's eight years since a British Prime Minister stepped on Chinese soil.

  • Keir Starmer is making history with his visit to Beijing.

  • Met by a guard of honour, accompanied by an enormous delegation,

  • he's made it quite clear that he's here to make friends.

  • We had a very good productive session with real concrete outcomes and it was a real strengthening of the relationship and that's in the national interest because of course there are huge opportunities here in China.

  • It's the second biggest economy in the world.

  • But it's not just deals on trade he'll be seeking.

  • Starmer is joining a long line of world leaders queuing up to meet President Xi.

  • Having been buffeted by a volatile and unpredictable White House,

  • they're seeking a bit of stability by forging a new alliance with a great power.

  • We used to talk about de-risking from China.

  • I don't hear that too much anymore.

  • If you know what I'm saying, we're talking about de-risking elsewhere.

  • It's a rupture.

  • It's not a transition.

  • Canada can thrive in a new system.

  • But to do so, we must be ambitious.