Daily World Briefing, Jan. 31

British PM's visit to China achieves fruitful results: spokesperson

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's official visit to China yielded fruitful results, demonstrating the breadth and depth of cooperation between the two countries, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said here Friday.

Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular news briefing that this is the first visit to China by a British prime minister in eight years, and Starmer is also the first leader of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council received by China in 2026.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Starmer on Thursday, during which the two leaders agreed that China and Britain should develop a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership, turn the vast potential of China-Britain cooperation into real progress, and open up new prospects for China-Britain relations and cooperation, Guo said.

Trump nominates Kevin Warsh as next Fed chair

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is nominating Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor, to be the next chair of the central bank.

The nomination, which came two days after the Fed's decision to keep the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent, needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

"I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best," said Trump in his Truth Social post announcing the selection.

Iranian FM says willing to return to negotiating table, but not under threat

Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday in Istanbul that Iran is willing to negotiate with the United States but "cannot begin under threat."

"The United States has shown no goodwill and has never been trustworthy. Yet Iran remains ready for all diplomatic processes and is willing to sit at the negotiating table," Araghchi said at a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.

Araghchi said Tehran is prepared for all scenarios, whether war or diplomacy, and is even better prepared than in June last year, when Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on Iran.

Cuba declares "international emergency" in response to U.S. executive order

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said Friday that Cuba has declared an "international emergency" in response to a recent executive order of tariff threats issued by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Rodriguez said in a post on X that the Cuban people, with the solidarity of the international community, find that the current situation involving the U.S. government constitutes an "unusual and extraordinary threat" which originates wholly or substantially from the "U.S. anti-Cuban neo-fascist right wing."■