LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Keir Starmer will fly to China on Tuesday on the first visit by a British leader in eight years, in a bid to mend ties with the world's second-largest economy and reduce its dependence on an increasingly unpredictable United States.

China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola exports, an industry group said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer hopes to boost his country’s lagging economy with a trip to Beijing. But he must carefully navigate between two superpowers.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to visit China in late January, the first China trip by a British prime minister since 2018.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK wouldn’t have to choose between the US and China, as he heralded “significant opportunities” for British businesses ahead of his trip to Beijing this week.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is the first British leader to travel to China in eight years, on a trip dominated by questions over global trade and security concerns.

By Kate Holton, Andrew MacAskill and Elizabeth Piper LONDON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - British finance minister Rachel Reeves will accompany Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his trip to China next week, underscoring UK efforts to strengthen ties with the world's second-largest economy at a time of strained transatlantic relations.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that Prime Minister Mark Carney did an “about-face” by striking a deal with China to lower some trade barriers, reinforcing President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat against Canada.