‘Twists and turns’ in relationship between Britain and China don’t help us, Xi Jinping tells Keir Starmer

Recent “twists and turns” in the relationship between Britain and China are damaging to both countries, Xi Jinping told Sir Keir Starmer as the two leaders met in Beijing on Thursday.

Ahead of face-to-face talks as part of efforts to reset diplomatic relations between the two countries, President Xi praised Labour governments for their “important contributions to the growth of China-UK relations”, while Sir Keir said he wants a “more sophisticated” relationship with Beijing.

The prime minister’s controversial three-day visit to China, which he has claimed will make the UK safer and richer, comes despite stark concerns over the threat the country poses to Britain’s national security and mounting pressure on the PM to secure the release of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.

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Sitting down with Mr Xi on Thursday in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Sir Keir said it had been “too long” since a British prime minister had visited China, which he described as a “vital player on the global stage”.

Mr Xi told Sir Keir the two men would “stand the test of history” if they could “rise above differences”, adding: “China-UK relations went through some twists and turns that did not serve the interests of our countries.”

He said: “Your visit this time has drawn a lot of attention. Sometimes good things take time. As long as it is the right thing that serves the fundamental interests of the country and the people, then as leaders we should not shy away from difficulties and we should press ahead fortitude.”

The PM has faced considerable pressure at home to address China's human rights record, particularly concerning the detention of Mr Lai and the treatment of the Uyghur minority.

It also comes after the trial of two men accused of spying for China last year collapsed, and an accusation from MI5 in November that Chinese spies had been posing as headhunters on LinkedIn to target MPs as part of a “widespread” operation to access information about the UK government.

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Earlier, Sir Keir remained tight-lipped on the specifics of what he intended to raise with Mr Xi, stating only that he had “always raised the issues that need to be raised” on foreign trips but would not “get ahead of” himself.

While Sir Keir said he raised Mr Lai’s case, the PM has played down hopes of a breakthrough.

Asked how forcefully he raised issues including the jailing of Mr Lai and the treatment of the Uighur minority, Sir Keir said: “We raised those issues, as you would expect.

“Part of the rationale for engagement is to make sure that we can both seize the opportunities that are available, which is what we’ve done, but also have a mature discussion about issues that we disagree on.”

He said they had a “respectful discussion” and that was “part and parcel of the reason to engage”.

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A Downing Street spokesperson said Sir Keir and Mr Xi agreed to a “frank and open dialogue” on areas of disagreement during their meeting.

“They agreed they would continue to enhance cooperation on areas of mutual interest, while maintaining frank and open dialogue on areas of disagreement,” No 10 said.

It comes after Mr Lai’s son, Sebastien, said the “normalising of relationships” between the UK and China “cannot happen until my father is free”.

The PM also said he made “good progress” on talks on tariffs and visa-free travel to China in his meeting with Mr Xi, saying he and the Chinese leader had discussed how “huge opportunities” in China could benefit people back in the UK.

China had said, in its own readout of the meeting, that it was willing to “actively consider” implementing unilateral visa-free entry for the UK.

Thursday’s day of talks with the Chinese leadership began with Sir Keir meeting the chair of China’s National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji.

Mr Zhao said it was “significant” to develop the UK-China relationship amid the “changing and turbulent international landscape”.

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He also praised Sir Keir’s efforts to reach a rapprochement with China, saying relations were on “the correct track to improvement and development” and “positive progress has been made”.

Later on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer received a ceremonial welcome. A military band played “God Save The King” and the Chinese national anthem, “March Of The Volunteers”, before the two men inspected an honour guard of around 140 troops from the Chinese army, navy and air force.

At the start of his meeting with Sir Keir, Mr Li told the prime minister that his efforts to improve relations had been “widely welcomed” in both countries.

A significant focus is anticipated to be a joint UK-Chinese law enforcement operation designed to combat illegal Channel crossings by disrupting the supply of small boat engines.

This initiative aims to tackle the issue at its source, given that approximately 60 per cent of engines powering small boats across the Channel are Chinese-manufactured, with many vessels also utilising Chinese components.

The proposed deal is understood to encompass intelligence sharing on smugglers’ supply routes and direct engagement with Chinese manufacturers to deter them from supplying criminal gangs.

Furthermore, it seeks to enhance the removal of individuals without legal residency in the UK and intensify efforts against Chinese organised crime groups involved in manufacturing synthetic opioids.

Ministers are hopeful that this agreement will contribute to a significant reduction in Channel crossings, amid growing pressure to bring numbers down in the face of the growing popularity of Reform UK.