British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to China is the latest win Beijing can tout in its rivalry with Washington, but the deals he brings back to London also show the limits of the balancing act that middle powers may try to play.

He follows Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, who struck a trade deal on a similar visit weeks ago, before heading to Davos to herald a new global trade order as U.S. President Donald Trump disrupts long-standing ties with allies.

European leaders have also ​visited, as have India's Narendra Modi and others since Trump began his second term a year ago, but it is less clear what tangible long-term economic and security benefits ‍such visits ⁠yield for Western powers.

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