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Xi Jinping has said the UK’s relationship with his country has gone through “twists and turns” over the years but that a more “consistent” approach is in both their interests, Pippa Crerar is reporting from Beijing.
Ahead of the talks with Keir Starmer during the first visit to China by a British prime minister in eight years, Xi said the two men would “stand the test of history” if they could “rise above differences”, the Guardian’s political editor writes in her latest full report.
At the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi also appeared to reprimand Kemi Badenoch, the British Conservative leader, who has criticised Starmer for travelling to China this week.
There has been cross-party concern about China’s spying activities in the UK – with the travelling No 10 delegation operating on burner phones – and also Beijing’s human rights abuses.
However, the UK prime minister began the trip by saying he wanted to bring “stability and clarity” to the bilateral relationship after years of “inconsistency” under the Tories when it went from “golden age to ice age”.
You can read the full report here:
For more context on today’s Starmer-Xi meeting, China is the world’s second-biggest economy and Britain’s third-largest trading partner – to which it exports £45bn of goods and services a year – so it is no surprise the UK has turned to Beijing in its search for economic reliability.
As the Guardian’s political editor Pippa Crerar reported earlier today, the UK does not rank among the top 10 of China’s trading partners but the Beijing leadership has spied a political opportunity to improve links with one of Washington’s closest allies at a time of deep uncertainty in the transatlantic alliance.
Starmer has insisted he is “clear-eyed” about the threat China poses to the UK’s national security, with Downing Street saying he would have “guardrails” in place to protect against espionage.
The agenda for the much of Starmer’s talks is to focus on how to balance the need for commercial and diplomatic engagement with China while limiting its direct influence over UK infrastructure, as well as maintaining pressure on human rights, including the Uyghur population of Xinjiang and people in Hong Kong.
Keir Starmer and Xi Jinping spoke privately for an hour and 20 minutes – nearly double the allocated time for their meeting.
The two were also due to have lunch together afterwards.
It’s now 1.01pm in Beijing.
Returning to Starmer’s comments to Xi, the British PM called for a deeper relationship with China during what he described as “challenging times for the world”.
He told the Chinese leader that their countries needed to work together on global stability, climate change and other issues.
“I have long been clear that the UK and China need a long term, consistent and comprehensive strategic partnership,” Starmer said, quoted by the AP.
Starmer-Xi meeting ends
The meeting between Keir Starmer and Xi Jinping has ended, Downing Street has confirmed.
Before his meeting with Xi Jinping meeting today, Keir Starmer was welcomed by People’s Congress chairman Zhao Leji at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
A report from the pool of journalists travelling with the British prime minister quotes Zhao as saying it was “significant” to develop the UK-China relationship “well” amid the “changing and turbulent international landscape”.
He also praised Starmer’s efforts to reach a rapprochement with China, saying relations were now on “the correct track to improvement and development” and “positive progress has been made.”
Starmer said:
This is a historic visit, the first by a British prime minister in eight years. We have made this trip because I believe it is strongly in our common interest to find positive ways to work together, and that has been our long-standing position.
The PM finished by saying:
I look forward to a very productive few days discussing issues of global stability and security, growth and shared challenges like climate change.
There have been reports the Starmer-Xi meeting is still going after more than an hour, following earlier reports it was scheduled for 40 minutes.
State news agency Xinhua reported that their talks were expected to cover trade ties, national security and human rights.
The meeting in the Great Hall of the People comes on the most important day of Starmer’s four-day visit to China – the first by a British PM since 2018.
Starmer told journalists earlier on his flight to Beijing that he wanted to bring “stability and clarity” to the bilateral relationship after years of “inconsistency” under the Tories when it went from “golden age to ice age”.
In other developments:
The British PM is also due to hold meetings with premier Li Qiang and China’s top legislator, Zhao Leji, on Thursday.
Starmer’s trip comes amid tension between the UK and longtime close ally the US over President Donald Trump’s recent remarks including threats to take control of Greenland and blasting what he called UK “stupidity” over its decision to cede the Chagos Islands.
European and other western countries have engaged in a flurry of diplomacy with China as they hedge against US unpredictability, with Starmer’s visit immediately following one from Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, who signed an economic deal with Beijing to take down trade barriers, angering Trump.
China indicated it was also eager to mend ties with the UK, portraying the relationship with Britain as being at a “pivotal moment”.
Starmer told a delegation of business leaders hours after arriving in China on Wednesday that it was time for a “mature” relationship between Britain and the world’s second-biggest economy.
Downing Street said Starmer and Xi would announce that Britain and China would work together to tackle the gangs involved in trafficking illegal migrants, in a sign of how the countries could work together.
Starmer was asked en route to China if he would bring up the case of Jimmy Lai and said that he would “raise the issues that need to be raised” on human rights with Xi. Lai, a former Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen, was convicted in December of national security crimes.
Some images from the meeting between the two leaders are dropping:
More from Xi Jinping here as he met Keir Starmer: the Chinese leader said the UK-China relationship in recent years had seen “twists and turns that did not serve the interests of our countries”.
Describing the state of the world as “turbulent and fluid”, Xi said more dialogue between the UK and China was “imperative”, whether it was “for the sake of world peace and stability or for our two countries’ economies and peoples”, PA Media is reporting.
Xi said:
In the past, Labour governments made important contributions to the growth of China-UK relations.
China stands ready to develop with the UK a long-term and consistent strategic partnership. It will benefit our two peoples.
Xi says China and UK must 'strengthen' ties
Xi Jinping has told Keir Starmer their countries must “strengthen” ties to counter geopolitical headwinds.
The Chinese leader was quoting as saying at their Beijing meeting on Thursday:
The current international situation is complex and intertwined. As permanent members of the UN security council and major global economies, China and the UK need to strengthen dialogue and cooperation.
Opening summary
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the British PM’s trip to China. Keir Starmer has told Xi Jinping he wants a “more sophisticated” relationship with China.
Speaking from Beijing, Starmer told Xi it had been “too long” since a British prime minister visited the country.
“China is a vital player on the global stage and it is vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship,” he said.
The Guardian’s political editor Pippa Crerar is in Beijing reporting on the meeting. Starmer also stressed the economic benefits of an improved relationship with China, saying:
It is with the British people in mind that I am here today. 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’s trip to Beijing comes as he undertakes talk he hopes will strengthen the UK’s economic relationship with China after years of acrimony and amid British uncertainty on whether the US is still a reliable partner.
We will bring you the latest developments in Beijing, live.
