British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would become the first UK prime minister in six years to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), promising to turn the page on UK-China relations by building “a pragmatic and serious relationship.”
Starmer and British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves have been pursuing a thawing of relations with the world’s second-largest economy on pragmatic grounds, suggesting that the UK cannot achieve its growth ambitions without better terms with China.
However, the move to deepen ties is likely to be controversial among human rights groups and backbenchers, and with several high-profile Conservative MPs who have had sanctions imposed on them by China.
Photo: Reuters
British lawmakers Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, both prominent Conservative critics of China, called on Starmer to use the meeting to raise with Xi the plight of UK nationals including Jimmy Lai (黎智英), the pro-democracy media owner detained and tried in Hong Kong.
Starmer was to meet Xi yesterday after press time in Rio de Janeiro at the G20 summit, a meeting of world leaders that is likely to be marked by divisions over the climate crisis and Ukraine.
No British prime minister has met Xi since then-British prime minister Theresa May visited Beijing in 2018 in the midst of a trade push during Brexit negotiations, although her successor, former British prime minister Boris Johnson, spoke to the Chinese president during the pandemic.
Since then, relations have significantly cooled because of cyber threats, a human rights crackdown in Hong Kong and the sanctions against British MPs.
Then-British prime minister Rishi Sunak attempted to renew relations at the G20 summit in 2022 where a bilateral was planned, but cancelled due to Ukraine developments. However, Conservative leaders have toyed with designating China a threat to British security — stronger language than the US had used.
Tugendhat said: “Jimmy Lai [黎智英] — a British citizen — is being put on a show trial in Hong Kong. Others are being threatened here in the UK.”
“It is essential that Starmer raises Mr Lai’s case and the threats we are witnessing against other British nationals who have spoken out who are now here in the UK. Starmer must clearly defend Britain against Beijing’s authoritarian regime,” he added.
British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs visited China last month in the first signal that the new Labour government saw a renewal of better ties as a priority.
Reeves, who is understood to be taking a leading role in pursuing new economic opportunities with China, is to head to Beijing in January.
In remarks before his meeting with Xi, Starmer sought to head off gloomy predictions for the summit, at which there would be a number of world leaders who are facing election defeat.
“It is in the UK’s best interests to engage on the global stage — whether that’s building strong and fruitful partnerships with our closest allies or being frank with those whose values differ from our own,” Starmer said.
Starmer expects to meet at least eight world leaders in one-to-one discussions in Rio.
Speaking to reporters en route to the summit, Starmer underlined the need for a realistic approach, saying it was important that he met Xi and stressing the potential economic benefits — without mentioning the potential security risks to better relations.
“We are both global players, global powers, both permanent members of the [UN] security council and of the G20. China’s economy is obviously the second biggest in the world,” he said.
“It’s one of our biggest trading partners and therefore I will be having serious, pragmatic discussions with the president when I meet him,” he added.
No. 10 said that any change in relations would be “rooted at all times in the UK’s national interests,” adding that there are “clear areas of mutual cooperation — including on international stability, climate and growth.”
Starmer would be “firm on the need to have honest conversations on areas of disagreement, while competing and challenging where we have to,” it added.
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