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Sir Keir Starmer will on Monday hold the first face-to-face talks by a British prime minister with Chinese President Xi Jinping since 2018, as he seeks “sensible and pragmatic engagement” with the Asian superpower.
Starmer, who is expected to meet Xi in the margins of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, has warmed up relations with Beijing since becoming prime minister in July, in recognition of China’s role as a key export market.
With clouds hanging over global trade following the election of Donald Trump as the next US president, Starmer’s allies say he is determined to build a solid relationship with China, in spite of tensions over human rights and security.
Downing Street described the approach as “sensible and pragmatic engagement rooted in the UK’s national interests”, but some Conservatives claim Starmer is too willing to accommodate Xi.
Speaking ahead of the meeting — the first such encounter since Tory prime minister Theresa May met Xi in Beijing in 2018 — Starmer said: “I think it’s important. We are both global players, global powers, both permanent members of the security council and of the G20.
“China’s economy is obviously the second-biggest in the world. It’s one of our biggest trading partners and therefore I will be having serious, pragmatic discussions with the president when I meet him.”
Downing Street said Starmer wanted to engage with China on areas such as international stability, climate and growth: British officials say they expect the issue of Trump’s proposed global tariffs, particularly focusing on China, to come up.
But Number 10 said Starmer would have “honest conversations on areas of disagreement” — a coded reference to security fears in the Taiwan Strait, human rights issues and civil rights in Hong Kong — “while competing and challenging where we have to”.
Starmer said: “Close co-operation with the world’s leading economies is vital to secure investment into the UK, and create the jobs needed to catalyse growth.”
Relations between China and Britain cooled considerably following May’s meeting with Xi and are far removed from the “golden era” proclaimed by ex-Tory premier Lord David Cameron.
Rishi Sunak, former Tory prime minister, adopted a much tougher tone towards Beijing, under pressure from China hawks on his own backbenches.
Last month, in one of his final outings as Tory leader, Sunak challenged foreign secretary David Lammy to raise China’s aggressive exercises in the Taiwan Strait during his upcoming visit to Beijing.
Lammy said he raised human rights issues on his visit to Beijing in October, but since his arrival in the Chinese capital there has been a marked increase in UK engagement.
Rachel Reeves, chancellor, is expected to go to China early next year for talks on economic and financial co-operation.
Starmer will use the Rio summit to hold a series of bilateral meetings — part of an extensive global tour since becoming prime minister in July. His trip marks the first visit by a British premier to Brazil in 12 years.