Elephants and football diplomacy on Starmer's 'historic' China trip

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C), British actor-producer Rosamund Pike (L) and National Theatre London co-CEO Kate Varah (R) arrive to meet with Chinese performing arts students at the Design Innovation Institute Shanghai, in Shanghai on January 31, 2026. (Photo by Kin Cheung / POOL / AFP)