King Charles would 'say yes' to a controversial state visit to China if asked to go by Andy Burnham

Published: 18:29 EDT, 7 November 2026 | Updated: 18:59 EDT, 7 November 2026 King Charles would be prepared to undertake a controversial state visit to China if requested by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, sources indicated on Saturday.As Charles is recovering from his 'challenging' Caribbean tour dominated by rows over slavery reparations, Buckingham Palace was not ruling out an even more politically testing trip to Beijing.Such a visit would be the first by a British monarch to the communist country for 40 years, but would be fraught with controversy given the ongoing security threat posed by China to Britain. One Whitehall source told The Mail on Sunday: 'We understand the King would be quite up for it, if it came to it.'But a senior Tory source said: 'This would be seen as seriously divisive politics.'Royal insiders stress a trip isn't on the table yet and would come with 'complex' logistical and political issues to navigate.As Prince of Wales, Charles made no secret of his antipathy to the Chinese regime. But a royal aide said: 'If the government said 'Will the King go to China?' I think we would think about it very carefully.'China is a hugely important country... a very complex country. It would pose a lot of complexity in putting a programme together. This is the 40th anniversary of the last state visit.'It comes amid a battle within the Government over whether to confront or appease Beijing. Security officials have complained that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is leading the 'appease' camp as the UK is so reliant on China for the supply of solar panels central to his Net Zero climate agenda. King Charles III during his tour of Antigua and Barbuda. The Palace has not ruled the King travelling on a politically testing trip to Beijing Prime Minister Andy Burnham. A battle is raging within the Government over whether to confront or appease BeijingAs heir to the throne, Charles maintained a highly–critical stance over the Chinese government, particularly as a result of his support for Tibet and the Dalai Lama. He boycotted UK state banquets for presidents Jiang Zemin in 1999 and Hu Jintao in 2005 over China's human rights record.He once described Chinese officials as 'appalling old waxworks', and also wriggled out of a state banquet to honour president Xi Jinping in 2015.Despite mounting evidence of state–sponsored activities in the UK, such as cyber attacks and political infiltration, Mr Miliband supports closer ties with China. One of his first moves as Foreign Secretary was to arrange to meet Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: 'If it is true the King might be going to China it is utterly appalling. They are effectively at war with us, and should not be rewarded for it.'Diplomats believe the King's Caribbean tour was a success, particularly his visit to Guyana, where he was welcomed with open arms at a time when China is making huge inroads in the region.BOB SEELY: If the King is to be wheeled out to communist China in our own version of 'panda diplomacy', this is a trip too farBy Bob Seely, former MP If rumours are correct, the King is to be wheeled out as Britain's version of 'panda diplomacy' and sent to Communist China.Is this a state visit too far? I think it is. The issue is not Charles. He has shown himself a master of sensitive visits, whether to the US under erratic Donald Trump or to the Caribbean, where slavery reparations dominated discussion.No, the question is: why are we debasing ourselves by offering a visit to a China leadership that behaves so destructively towards us? It would be ironic. The debate about historic slavery in the Caribbean pales against China's record of using forced labour now in its cotton and potentially other industries, including silicon used in solar panels that Net Zero fanatic Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband wants to cover the British countryside with. And we reward this with a state visit?Too often our leaders, especially on the Left, continue the delusion that China is an economic El Dorado which will make us rich. But Beijing does not want free trade. It wants to make others dependent on it. This is not trade as a tool of joint prosperity but trade as a weapon in conflict.Rather than organising a cringeworthy visit, our leaders' time would be better spent standing up for our values and interests and articulating them clearly.