‘China a vital player’: Xi hosts British Premier Starmer in Beijing

Starmer, who arrived on Wednesday, said the trip aims to create opportunities that will benefit the UK.

The visit marks the first time a British prime minister has visited China since 2018 and comes amid tensions over US tariffs as well as strains among Western allies over issues including US ambitions in Greenland.

Starmer is accompanied by around 60 leaders from business, academia and cultural sectors.

Opening the meeting, Xi said the relationship with Britain had been through "twists and turns" that did not serve the interests of either country and that China stood ready to develop a long-term strategic partnership.

Xi described the state of the world as “turbulent and fluid,” saying more dialogue between the UK and China was imperative, whether it was “for the sake of world peace and stability or for our two countries’ economies and peoples."

He told Starmer that their countries must strengthen ties to counter geopolitical headwinds.

"China will never pose a threat to other countries no matter how it grows and develops," Xi told Starmer.

He stressed: "China has never initiated a war, nor occupied an inch of foreign land."

According to state-run Xinhua News, the two sides "agreed to develop a long-term, stable, comprehensive strategic partnership."

'Strongly in our common interest to find positive ways to work together'

"China stands ready to develop with the UK a long-term and consistent, comprehensive, strategic partnership," Xi said, adding that it will benefit our two peoples and the wider world.

"As long as something is the right thing to do and serves the fundamental interests of our countries and peoples... We should take a long-term view," Xi said, adding that both countries should "rise above differences and uphold mutual respect," BBC reported.

In his remarks, Starmer said: "China is a vital player on the global stage, and it's vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship where we can identify opportunities to collaborate, but of course, also allow a meaningful dialogue on areas where we disagree."

That, he added, is the only way to make progress, and "I look forward to taking our relationship further, focused on delivering growth security."

“The current international situation is complex and intertwined. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major global economies, China and the UK need to strengthen dialogue and cooperation,” he said.

​​​​​​​He added that the UK is seeking a "more sophisticated relationship" with China.

“I have long been clear that the UK and China need a long-term, consistent, and comprehensive strategic partnership,” said Starmer, who last met Xi in Brazil in Nov. 2024.

Starmer added that cooperating on issues like climate change and global stability during challenging times is "what we should be doing as we build this relationship."

"This is a historic visit, the first by a British prime minister in eight years. We have made this trip because I believe it is strongly in our common interest to find positive ways to work together, and that has been our longstanding position," Starmer said.

Starmer said he looked forward to "a very productive few days" discussing issues of global stability and security, growth and shared challenges like climate change.

Before his meeting with Xi, Starmer was welcomed by National People’s Congress Chairman Zhao Leji at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

Starmer will fly to the Shanghai metropolitan area for a trip on Friday, before his weekend flight to Tokyo for a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The trip has not been confirmed yet.

The UK was the “first Western major country to recognize” Beijing in 1950, and the two sides upgraded ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” in May 2004, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

With an annual bilateral trade volume of $98.36 billion in 2024, the two sides also instituted high-level exchange mechanisms, including the Annual Prime Minister’s Meeting, Economic and Financial Dialogue, Strategic Dialogue, and High-Level People-to-People Dialogue.