英国外交

UK and China to share intelligence over people traffickers in the Channel

Prime minister hopes pact will help Britain tackle gangs bringing migrants from France in small boats

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will on Thursday sign a pact with China’s President Xi Jinping to share intelligence to tackle people-trafficking gangs, in a sign of a significant warming of relations.

After a spell of what Starmer called “Ice Age” diplomacy, Britain and China have agreed to work together to curtail the supply of the Chinese-made small boat engines used in Channel crossings.

Chinese state media have given generous coverage to Starmer’s visit, as Beijing seeks to exploit the rupture in the western allia