British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has arrived in Beijing for a four-day official visit to China — the first visit by a British prime minister to the country since 2018, when Theresa May visited China.
Starmer landed in the Chinese capital on 28 January, where he was met by Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fuan. The visit comes amid London’s desire to ‘reset’ relations with Beijing after several years of tension caused by national security issues, the situation in Hong Kong, Russia’s support for the war in Ukraine and other disagreements.
29 January was a key day in the programme: the Prime Minister held more than an hour and a half of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People. Starmer said that the UK seeks to build a ‘more sophisticated relationship’ with China that will promote economic growth and strengthen global security. He noted that it had been ‘too long’ — eight years — since a British prime minister had set foot on Chinese soil.
Xi Jinping, in turn, emphasised the importance of a stable and long-term strategic partnership between the two countries and called for raising above differences for the sake of common interests.
The visit’s agenda also includes meetings with Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji. In addition to Beijing, Starmer will visit the financial centre of Shanghai, where he will hold talks with business representatives.
The British delegation is accompanied by an impressive business mission of about 60 representatives of companies and cultural organisations, including HSBC, AstraZeneca, GSK, Airbus, British Airways and others. The main goal of the economic part of the trip is to expand trade, investment and access for British companies to the Chinese market.
The visit is taking place amid a complex international situation: against the backdrop of tensions in transatlantic relations following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, as well as Beijing’s active attempts to establish contacts with the United States’ European allies.
A number of agreements are expected to be signed, including on combating migrant smuggling networks. Climate issues, global stability and economic cooperation are also on the agenda.
Experts describe Starmer’s visit as a pragmatic move by London, aimed not at choosing between Washington and Beijing, but at building balanced relations that benefit the British economy.