“China is a vital actor.” After “upheavals”, Britain wants a “sophisticated relationship” with the world's second largest economy

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday that he wants to build a “sophisticated relationship” to boost economic growth and security, signaling a major development in relations between the two countries after years of strain.

On the most important day of his four-day visit to China, the first by a British prime minister in eight years, Starmer held talks with Xi in the Great Hall of the People before dining together.

Starmer, whose centre-left Labor government has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, has made improving relations with the world's second-largest economy a priority despite lingering doubts over spying and human rights.

“China is a vital player on the world stage and it is essential that we build a more sophisticated relationship where we can identify opportunities for collaboration, but of course also allow for meaningful dialogue in areas where we disagree,” Starmer told Xi at the start of the meeting.

China, ready for a strategic partnership, says Xi

Xi said relations with Britain had gone through “upheavals” that did not serve the interests of either country, and that China was ready to develop a long-term strategic partnership.

Starmer is the latest Western leader to engage in a series of diplomatic overtures with China as nations brace against the unpredictability of the United States under Donald Trump.

Trump's intermittent threats of tariffs and promises to seize control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, have irritated longtime allies such as Britain.

Starmer's visit follows that of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who signed an economic deal with Beijing to remove trade barriers, drawing the ire of the White House leader.

“It must look like it was a success”

Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies at King's College London, said he expected a series of agreements between Britain and China to be announced to show how the relationship between the two countries had improved.

“It has to look like it was a success,” he said. “Neither side wants a meeting where they're talking about things they don't agree on.”

Starmer has adopted a new policy of engagement with China after relations deteriorated over the years under previous Conservative governments, when London restricted some Chinese investment on national security grounds and raised concerns about a crackdown on political freedoms in Hong Kong.

“I promised 18 months ago when we were elected to government that I would get Britain open to the outside world again,” Starmer told Xi.

“Because as we all know, events abroad affect everything that happens in our countries, from supermarket prices to our sense of safety.”

Espionage concerns

Kemi Badenoch, the leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, said on Wednesday that she would not have gone to China because of the security risks the country poses.

British security services have claimed that China regularly spies on the government. Beijing has denied the allegations.

In a sign of how the countries can work together, Downing Street said Starmer and Xi would announce that Britain and China would jointly tackle gangs involved in illegal migrant smuggling.

The deal will focus on reducing the use of Chinese-made engines for small boats that transport people to Europe to seek asylum.

British and Chinese officials will share intelligence to identify traffickers' supply routes and work with Chinese manufacturers to prevent legitimate businesses from being exploited by organized crime, Downing Street said.

Important business delegation to China

Starmer told reporters on the plane to China that he would “raise the issues that need to be raised” about human rights in the discussion with Xi, when asked if he would address the case of Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media magnate and British national who was convicted in December of crimes against national security.

But the presence of more than 50 business leaders accompanying Starmer and his itinerary shows that the priority of this trip is economic ties, comments Reuters.

It was time for a “mature” relationship with China, Starmer told a business delegation hours after arriving in the East Asian country on Wednesday.

He then dined at a Chinese restaurant known for its mushroom dishes, which also hosted former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during her 2023 visit.

He discussed how to pronounce the Chinese word for “thank you” — “xie xie” — while taking pictures with restaurant employees, according to a video posted on Weibo.