Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister, is set to meet with US President Joe Biden and Australian PM Anthony Albanese to discuss a new defence agreement, the Aukus pact, aimed at counterbalancing China's influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
China condemned the deal as "extremely irresponsible" at the time.
Sunak will declare that China poses a significant threat to the UK economy, but this statement stops short of what he previously said; that China poses the biggest long-term threat to the UK overall, implying military danger.
From The Guardian article, Sunak warned that China's plans to "reshape the world order" present a challenge for Britain, but he dismisses calls for Beijing to be categorised as a threat, sparking a row with some party hawks.
The UK's national security strategy and defence spending will shift significantly to curb China's influence, becoming "increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad".
The moves come after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Sunak looks set to defy his predecessor's request that China be reclassified as a threat.
The Independent reports that Sunak defends his policy of engaging with China, despite its increasingly authoritarian government, and will publish an update to its foreign and security policy, motivated in part by concerns about China's assertive presence abroad.
The UK Prime Minister's softer stance has provoked some senior Tories to accuse him of "kowtowing" to China.
Lastly, according to Sky News, Sunak's trip to the West Coast of the US to deal with China's threat contrasts with current UK issues, including a run on a bank, a meltdown at the BBC, and proving Wednesday's Budget has not abandoned growth.
In contrast to his previous leadership contest statement, China poses the biggest long-term threat to Britain overall and potentially military danger, Sunak's message on this trip addresses China as the biggest threat to the UK economy of any country.