Sir Keir Starmer told Xi Jinping that he wants a “more sophisticated” relationship with China as the two leaders met in Beijing seeking to patch up ties strained by years of spying scandals and geopolitical tensions.
Stressing the economic benefits of an improved relationship with China, Starmer, the first UK prime minister to visit the country in eight years, told Xi on Thursday that “China is a vital player on the global stage and it is vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship”.
The Chinese president in his opening remarks took a veiled swipe at Britain’s opposition Conservative Party, which has criticised Starmer’s trip to Beijing and which fiercely opposed his Labour government’s approval this month of Beijing’s new super-embassy in London.