&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Starmer meets Xi Jinping in Beijing amid US pressure, seeks ‘more sophisticated’ UK-China ties: What leaders said")
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday (Jan 29) for talks amid pressure from the United States. Starmer, who is the first by a British prime minister to visit the country since 2018, was greeted by Xi at the Great Hall of the People. He will also meet Premier Li Qiang later on Thursday. Starmer's visit to China comes amid tension between Britain and the United States. Starmer's visit also immediately follows that of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who signed an economic deal with Beijing to tear down trade barriers, drawing Trump's ire.
What Starmer said?
Starmer, whose centre-left Labour Party government has struggled to deliver the economic growth it promised, called China a “vital player on global stage” and said that UK seeks a “more sophisticated relationship” with it. "I made the promise 18 months ago when we were elected into government that I would make Britain face outwards again. Because as we all know, events abroad affect everything that happens back in our home countries, to prices on the supermarket shelves to how secure we feel," Starmer told Xi. Speaking to a delegation of business leaders hours after arriving in the country on Wednesday, Starmer said it was time for a “mature” relationship between Britain and the world’s second-biggest economy.
Also Read: Trump pushing UK towards China, Keir Starmer lands in Beijing as UK reconsiders China ties
What Xi Jinping said?
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Xi, in his opening remarks said that the relationship with Britain had been through "twists and turns" that did not serve the interests of either country and that China stood ready to develop a long-term strategic partnership. Highlighting that engagement with China is an “unavoidable issue”, Xi Jinping told Starmer, “As long as it is the right thing that serves the fundamental interests of the country and the people, then as leaders we should not shy away from difficulties and we should press ahead. As long as we take a broad perspective, rise above differences and respect each other, then we will prove ourselves able to stand the test of history.”
What Britain said ahead of Starmer visit?
British and Chinese officials will share intelligence to identify smugglers’ supply routes and work with Chinese manufacturers to prevent legitimate businesses from being exploited by organised crime, Downing Street. Starmer told reporters on the plane to China that he will “raise the issues that need to be raised” on human rights with Xi when asked if he will bring up the case of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen who was convicted in December of national security crimes.
