China and US ‘should be in toughest tier’ of foreign influence scheme

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks with US President Donald Trump before the start of a North Atlantic Council plenary meeting during the Nato Summit at the Hague, Netherlands (Kin Cheung/PA) - (PA Wire)

Britain should place both China and the US in the toughest tier of its foreign influence scheme in order to adapt to a world of “great power competition”, according to a new report.

The UK must also engage with Beijing economically “even if this prompts retaliation” from the White House, the paper published by the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank concludes.