Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – November 18: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Sheraton Hotel, where he will also attend the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 18, 2024. Keir Starmer attended his first G20 summit since being elected as British Prime Minister. He is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first time a British prime minister has done so in six years. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to build a “consistent and lasting” relationship between the two countries and continue efforts to thaw ties between London and Beijing at the Group of 20 summit.
The meeting in Brazil was the first between leaders of the two countries since 2018. Starmer struck an optimistic tone, saying he hoped to engage with Beijing in areas such as trade, economy and climate, as well as more broadly in the fields of science and technology. of contact.
The British leader also said he would start planning “comprehensive bilateral” talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing or London and hoped that British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves would meet Vice Premier He Lifeng next year to discuss economic and financial cooperation.
“We want our relationship to be consistent, lasting and respectful, as we have agreed, with as few surprises as possible and enhanced dialogue should provide a deeper understanding,” Starmer told Xi at the start of the meeting.
“It is foreseeable that the UK will become a consistent sovereign actor committed to the rule of law and the multilateral system,” he said, adding that he appreciated Xi Jinping’s candor during the August call and would raise the issue between the two countries. Adopt a tone consistent with his during disagreements.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Xi Jinping told Starmer that China and the UK should view each other’s development rationally and objectively, strengthen strategic communication, and deepen political mutual trust.
The cooperative tone of the meeting was in stark contrast to relations under the previous Conservative government, which took a hard line on differences with China, particularly over human rights, Hong Kong and accusations of Chinese espionage.
As Starmer focuses on restarting economic growth in an effort to deliver on his July election promise to rebuild public services, the British leader is keen to encourage trade and investment between different countries.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “They also discussed deepening the bilateral partnership in trade and investment, health, education and other areas of mutual interest.”
The spokesman said they all agreed that climate issues should be high on the agenda.
Starmer has also said he wants to engage candidly with China on issues where the two countries have different views, including human rights, Hong Kong and Ukraine, the spokesman said.
Starmer has long said he wants a “pragmatic” relationship with China “rooted in British national interests” and aimed at promoting trade, a task that could become more difficult if the United States is elected president.
Donald Trump followed through on his threat to impose tariffs on all imports. China is the UK’s sixth largest trading partner, accounting for 5% of trade in goods and services worth 86.5 billion pounds ($112 billion), while the UK has a 1.2% market share in China trade.
The latest meeting follows Foreign Secretary David Lamy’s visit to China last month, a softening that has been criticized by the opposition Conservatives, who are currently wary of Beijing. .
