Keir Starmer, Xi Jinping meet at G20, agree on vast potential for UK-China cooperation

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro and told him that a “strong UK-China relationship is important for both of our countries”, according to The Guardian, citing British news agency PA Media.

It is the first bilateral meeting between leaders from the two countries since Xi held talks with Theresa May in February 2018.

Ties between China and the United Kingdom have been strained in recent years as they argue over espionage allegations, human rights and Beijing’s tightening control over former British colony Hong Kong.

China and the United Kingdom remain major trading partners, however, and are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

During the meeting, Jinping told Starmer that both the countries have significant potential for working together.

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“China and Britain enjoy vast space for cooperation,” AFP quoted Xi as telling Starmer.

The meeting comes as leaders of the G20 grouping of top global economies gather in Brazil to discuss fighting poverty, boosting climate financing and other topics of multilateral concern.

Starmer raised concerns with Chinese President about sanctions on British MPs and the worsening health of Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai.

As Starmer brought up Lai’s plight, Chinese officials escorted British journalists out of the room, reported The Guardian.

Lai, a British citizen and pro-democracy media owner, is currently imprisoned in Hong Kong.

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Starmer also discussed broader human rights issues with Xi, including sanctions on several Conservative MPs, such as former security minister Tom Tugendhat and Commons Deputy Speaker Nus Ghani.

Starmer said that both leaders agreed they wanted to ensure relations between the UK and China remained “consistent, durable, respectful, and, where possible, free from surprises.”

The Labour leader proposed a full bilateral meeting with Premier Li, either in Beijing or London, and suggested that his Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, meet with Chinese counterpart He Lifeng in Beijing in January to explore further investment opportunities and create a more level playing field for UK businesses.

“I’m keen that my chancellor should meet with Vice Premier He for the upcoming economic financial dialogue early next year to explore more investment projects and a more level playing field to help our businesses,” The Guardian quoted Starmer as saying.

“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. We are concerned by reports of Jimmy Lai’s deterioration,” he added.

Tugendhat and the former foreign affairs committee chair Alicia Kearns, both prominent Tory critics of China, had called on Starmer to use the meeting to raise with Xi the plight of UK nationals including Lai, the pro-democracy media owner detained and tried in Hong Kong.

Xi also met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Rio de Janeiro and told him  that China’s relationship with Australia has achieved a turnaround and the two countries are maintaining a positive momentum of development, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

With inputs from agencies