British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil. He emphasized his desire for London-Beijing relations to be “consistent, durable, and respectful, as we have agreed.” UK-China relations have been tense in recent years. The meeting could be a start to improving them. This article examines the content of the first official meeting of high-ranking British and Chinese officials.

The first meeting of British and Chinese officials in 6 years

Starmer was the first British prime minister to meet Xi Jinping since Theresa May visited Beijing in February 2018. Rishi Sunak had planned to meet Xi Jinping in 2022. Sunak and Xi Jinping’s meeting was cancelled due to emergency meetings following the missile attack on NATO member Poland near the Ukrainian border. “We are both global players, global powers, both permanent members of the security council and of the G20,” the UK prime minister told reporters on the flight to Rio de Janeiro with him. “China’s economy is the second biggest in the world.”

Chinese British delegations hold talks in Rio de Janeiro.

Chinese and British delegations held discussions at the G20 summit. Xi Jinping and Keir Starmer led the negotiations on the summit’s sidelines. The negotiating teams from the two countries met in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, November 18. “A strong relationship was important for both countries—and for the international community,” Starmer said at the start of the meeting.

China calls for strengthening strategic ties with Britain.

China’s Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi Jinping told Starmer that despite Beijing and London’s different values, cultures and social systems, they have common interests. According to Xi Jinping, we should take a rational and objective view of the development of UK-China relations. In this regard, the two countries should strengthen strategic communication. To this end, China and Britain should improve bilateral political trust and ensure bilateral relations’ stability and long-term pragmatism. The Chinese president continued his remarks by emphasizing that “China and Britain, both as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major global economies, share the responsibilities of advancing their respective national development and addressing global challenges.”

Commonalities between China and Britain for cooperation

UK-China relations have been fraught, but in Xi Jinping’s view, there are many commonalities for cooperation. Xi Jinping noted that “the two countries enjoy vast space for cooperation in such areas as trade and investment, clean energy, financial services, healthcare and people’s well-being, which should be further expanded to better benefit the people of both nations.” The Chinese president stressed that London and Beijing should support political solutions to significant issues, strengthen global governance of artificial intelligence, support global economic growth and achieve global common development.

Starmer’s proposals to improve relations with China

Starmer offered to hold a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The meeting should be held in London or Beijing as soon as possible. The British prime minister also proposed financial talks between the Chinese vice-premier and the British Chancellor of the Exchequer to explore more investment projects and a more level playing field to help our companies. “I’m very pleased that my Foreign Secretary and foreign minister Wang met recently to discuss respective concerns including on human rights and parliamentary sanctions, Taiwan, the South China Sea and our shared interest in Hong Kong,” Starmer said.

Britain seeks pragmatic talks with China.

The new Labour government’s first green light for a resumption of UK-China relations came with David Lammy’s visit to China. During his first visit as a foreign secretary to China in the last two months, Lammy agreed to resume full talks with Britain. He pledged cooperation in various areas, including trade, finance, science and technology. The British prime minister said that because Beijing and London are both global powers and China is one of Britain’s biggest trading partners, he wanted to have serious pragmatic talks with the Chinese leader. Xi Jinping had stressed in a phone call with Starmer in August, a month after he became prime minister, that the two countries should take a strategic, long-term view of their bilateral relationship.

British and Chinese economic concerns over Trump’s victory

London and Beijing have made efforts in recent months to repair their ties. Their trade talks are likely to continue as concerns about the fallout from Donald Trump’s presidency grow. With Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, London and Beijing have been concerned about importing and exporting goods. Donald Trump has threatened to impose 60% tariffs on Chinese goods. Starmer and other countries worldwide are considering what economic measures they would take if the Republicans implemented these plans.

Conservatives likely to oppose improved UK-China relations.

Starmer’s meeting with Xi Jinping shows that Britain cannot continue its ambitious growth without improving relations with China. However, the move to deepen ties with Beijing will likely become a contentious issue among human rights groups and several senior Conservative MPs. Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tried to restore relations with China at the 2022 G20 summit. Conservative leaders have taken a much more aggressive stance than the US, declaring China a threat to British security.

Fears and hopes for the rise of UK-China relations

Starmer is trying to increase relations with China in terms of economics. In Starmer’s opinion, Trump’s rise to power could be a good opportunity for China and Britain to get closer. On the other hand, the two countries have experienced various tensions in recent months. They have accused each other of spying on each other and the level of relations has been constantly declining. Whether economic interests can bring the two countries closer remains to be seen. Economic ties will improve if new tensions do not arise in UK-China relations.