{"id":3452614,"date":"2026-01-30T00:34:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T22:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nhub.news\/?p=3452614"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:20:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T08:20:05","slug":"with-chinas-xi-britains-starmer-hopes-gift-of-manchester-united-match-ball-scores-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nhub.news\/de\/2026\/01\/with-chinas-xi-britains-starmer-hopes-gift-of-manchester-united-match-ball-scores-points\/","title":{"rendered":"With China\u2019s Xi, Britain\u2019s Starmer hopes gift of Manchester United match ball scores points"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reviving a familiar playbook, the British leader uses football to seek diplomatic headway during a state visit to Beijing.<\/b>
\nChinese President Xi Jinping received a unique gift from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Beijing on Thursday: the official match ball from Sunday\u2019s fixture between Manchester United and Arsenal, according to media reports.
Starmer is on an official visit to China, the first by a British leader since 2018.
While Starmer is an ardent Arsenal fan, Xi is reportedly a supporter of Manchester United.
Manchester United secured a 3-2 victory in a tightly contested match. By offering the gift involving two of the English Premier League\u2019s most celebrated teams, Starmer\u2019s gesture appeared meant to warm up Sino-British ties that have been fraught with complexity.
Xi is widely understood to be a football enthusiast, prompting some world leaders to try their hand at \u201cfootball diplomacy\u201d to find common ground with the Chinese president.
This was not the first time the Premier League has played a role in the bilateral relationship.<\/p>\n