United States President Donald Trump has described it as “very dangerous” for Britain, a close ally, to engage in business dealings with China.

Trump made the comment on Thursday while speaking to reporters at the premiere of a documentary about his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.

When asked about Britain “getting into business” with China during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing, Trump said: “Well it’s very dangerous for them to do that.”

Starmer’s trip to China marks the first visit by a British prime minister since 2018.

The visit comes as several Western leaders have recently sought improved relations with Beijing, a development many observers view as a shift away from an increasingly unpredictable United States.

On Thursday, Starmer held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials, during which both sides signed several cooperation agreements.

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun responded to Trump’s remarks on Friday.

He told reporters: “China is willing to strengthen cooperation with all countries in the spirit of mutual benefit and win-win results”.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China earlier this month and secured agreements on trade and tourism.

In response to Carney’s engagements, Trump threatened to impose 100-percent tariffs on Canadian imports if further deals were made with Beijing.

Carney later dismissed the tariff threat as a negotiating tactic.

Trump expanded on his concerns after commenting on Britain.

He added: “It’s even more dangerous, I think, for Canada to get into business with China. Canada is not doing well. They’re doing very poorly, and you can’t look at China as the answer.”