Starmer arrives in China to defend 'pragmatic' partnership

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, hoping to restore long-frought relations.

It is the first visit to China by a UK prime minister since 2018 and follows a string of Western leaders courting Beijing in recent weeks, pivoting from a mercurial United States.

Starmer, who is also expected to visit Shanghai on Friday, will later make a brief stop in Japan to meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

For Xi, the trip is an opportunity to show Beijing can be a reliable partner at a time when President Donald Trump's policies have rattled historic ties between Washington and its Western allies.

Starmer is battling record-low popularity polls and hopes the visit can boost Britain's beleaguered economy.

The trip has been lauded by Downing Street as a chance to boost trade and investment ties while raising thorny issues such as national security and human rights.

Starmer will meet with Xi for lunch on Thursday, followed by a meeting with Premier Li Qiang.

The British leader said on Wednesday this visit to China was "going to be a really important trip for us," vowing to make "some real progress."

There are "opportunities" to deepen bilateral relations, Starmer told reporters travelling with him on the plane to China.

"It doesn't make sense to stick our head in the ground and bury in the sand when it comes to China, it's in our interests to engage and not compromise on national security," he added.

China, for its part, "is willing to take this visit as an opportunity to enhance political mutual trust,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated Wednesday during a news briefing.

Starmer is the latest Western leader to be hosted by Beijing in recent months, following visits by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Faced with Trump's threats to impose tariffs on Canada for signing a trade agreement with China, and the U.S. president's attempts to create a new international institution with his "Board of Peace," Beijing has been affirming its support for the United Nations to visiting leaders.

AFP