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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday that he wanted to build a "sophisticated relationship" with Beijing to boost growth and security, signaling a reset after years of strained relations.
On the highlight of his four-day visit to China, the first by a British prime minister in eight years, Starmer held an 80-minute meeting with Xi at the Great Hall of the People before they had lunch together. He will later meet Premier Li Keqiang.
Starmer, whose government has struggled to deliver the growth it promised, has made improving relations with the world's second-largest economy a priority, despite ongoing suspicions about espionage and human rights.
"China is a major player on the global stage and it is vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship where we can identify opportunities to cooperate, but of course, also allow for meaningful dialogue on areas where we disagree," Starmer told Xi at the start of their meeting.
Xi said ties with Britain had gone through "turns" that did not serve either country's interests and that China was willing to develop a long-term strategic partnership.
"We can achieve a result that can withstand the test of history," said the Chinese leader, accompanied by his top ministers.
Starmer is the latest Western leader to engage in a wave of diplomacy with China as nations brace for the unpredictability of the United States under President Donald Trump.
Trump's repeated threats of trade tariffs and promises to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, have angered early allies like Britain.
Starmer's visit comes on the heels of that of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who signed an economic deal with Beijing to break down trade barriers, drawing Trump's ire.
Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies at King's College London, said she expected a number of deals between Britain and China to be announced to show how their relationship has improved. Starmer is accompanied by more than 50 business leaders, another sign that he is seeking economic victories.
Starmer has adopted a new policy of engagement with China after relations deteriorated for years under previous Conservative governments, when London curbed some Chinese investment over national security concerns and expressed concern about a crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong.
"I made a promise 18 months ago, when we were elected to government, that I would make Britain face the outside world again," Starmer told Xi, adding, "as we all know, events abroad affect everything that happens in our home countries, the prices on supermarket shelves and the security we feel."
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, said on Wednesday that she would not have gone to China because of the security risks the country poses.
British security services have said that China regularly spies on the government. China has denied these claims.
In a sign of how countries can work together, Downing Street said Starmer and Xi would announce that Britain and China would jointly fight gangs involved in the trafficking of illegal immigrants.
The agreement will focus on reducing the use of Chinese-made engines for small boats that transport people across Europe to seek asylum.
British and Chinese officials will share information to identify smugglers' supply routes and work with Chinese manufacturers to prevent legitimate businesses from being exploited by organised crime, Downing Street said.
Starmer told reporters on the plane, during the trip to China, that he would "raise the issues that need to be raised" on human rights with Xi, when asked if he would raise the case of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen who was convicted in December of national security crimes.
On Wednesday evening, Starmer dined at a restaurant known for its mushroom-filled dishes, which also hosted former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during her visit in 2023.
He practiced pronouncing the Chinese word for thank you ('xie xie') with restaurant staff while posing for photos. /Adapted from Reuters /
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