by Xinhua writers Zheng Bofei, Larry Neild
LONDON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- As Britain readies itself for the arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the spectacle of royal pageantry and diplomatic fanfare risks being overshadowed by public concerns, political fragility, policy divisions and expectations gap between the two allies.
Trump, the first U.S. president to make two state visits to the UK, will be feted with a Windsor Castle banquet hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, meetings with the Prince and Princess of Wales, and a countryside summit with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers.
A carriage procession, military parades, and a dramatic Red Arrows fly-past are all designed to project the resilience of the transatlantic alliance.
Yet behind the ceremonial gloss, strains are clear. Protests organized by the "Stop Trump Coalition" are expected in London and Windsor, recalling the mass demonstrations during Trump's July visit to Scotland.
Just days ago, London witnessed one of the largest far-right rallies in decades, further inflamed by Elon Musk's online warning that "violence is coming to you," remarks Downing Street denounced as "dangerous and inflammatory."
Prime Minister Starmer, meanwhile, is on shaky political ground. Within a week, he has lost two senior figures, including Britain's ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, whose dismissal over links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein disrupted a strategy to cultivate a personal bridge to Trump.
Ian Scott of the University of Manchester has told Xinhua on Mandelson's dismissal that "the gamble has now backfired."
Alongside the ceremonial events, the UK is preparing to sign what Downing Street has billed a "ground-breaking" technology agreement with the United States, the government has declared.
Trump will be accompanied by American tech leaders including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI's Sam Altman, both expected to announce multi-billion-pound investments in British data centers.
The government is promoting the deals as a "gold standard" for digital rulemaking. Yet critics warn they expose Britain's growing dependence on U.S. capital and technology and potential consequences.
Politico quoted Gaia Marcus of the Ada Lovelace independent research institute as warning that "We mustn't just focus on today's figures if the cost is technological lock-in tomorrow, limiting our ability to seek alternatives in the future."
Chi Onwurah, chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, also cautioned "true technology sovereignty cannot mean being dependent on one investor or country."
On regional and international issues, political rifts between Washington and London are hard to disguise. Britain's steadfast support for Ukraine contrasts sharply with Trump's warmer signals toward Moscow. In addition, Starmer has condemned Israel's Gaza offensive and suggested Britain may recognize a Palestinian state, a move Trump has dismissed as "rewarding terror."
For Trump, the three-day visit taps global attention and royal honors. For Britain, it is a precarious balancing act because Starmer has an ultimate imperative goal, securing Trump's pledge to lower tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Whether such concessions can be won amid the pomp remains to be seen. As Professor David Dunn of the University of Birmingham noted,"It's better to be on side with Trump than not, because he is erratic, impulsive, and vindictive."
However, he also warned Trump "is a willingness to leverage American power to advance U.S. national interests, apparently without concessions to America's allies." ■
