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British Prime Minister Heads to China To Reset Relations with Beijing

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By Devin Tsai/John Van Trieste

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has met with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Starmer hopes for renewed engagement with China after several years of tensions, while China hopes to show itself as a stable partner in chaotic times.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Visits China

 

REPORTER:  

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer walks into the Beijing hall where he’s set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Starmer is the first British Prime Minister to set foot on Chinese soil in eight years.

 

And it’s been a rocky eight years, from Beijing’s crackdown on protesters in former British colony Hong Kong to allegations of Chinese spying in the UK. But recently there's also been a global realignment, so to speak—as ties between the US and its allies fray. Starmer wants a fresh start—and China wants to show itself a stable partner during chaotic times.

 

Starmer has publicly called China a national security threat. But today he says differences can be managed—to the benefit of people in the UK.

 

China is a vital player on the global stage and it's vital to build a more sophisticated relationship where we identify opportunities to collaborate, but also allow a meaningful dialogue on areas where we disagree.

 

China, it seems, is on the same page.

 

China is willing to develop a long-term stable, and comprehensive strategic partnership with Britain which will benefit the people of both countries.

 

Not everyone in Britain is as upbeat about expanded ties with China. A so-called ‘mega-embassy’ China has planned in a part of London with sensitive telecom infrastructure has drawn protests.

 

But analysts say there’s a practical need for Starmer to see what’s possible with a major scientific and political power—even if the UK-China relationship isn’t one of trust.

 

There are things that China is doing in cancer research, in pharma, in other areas, which are very, very important, and we have to work out how do we engage with China, how do we research with China. It’s our second-largest research partner after the United States. We just have to have more clarity about whether we can go ahead with these, or if we say no, whether we’re willing to bear the costs in that.

 

And some say recent trans-Atlantic frictions aren’t the only reason to engage: Starmer’s Labour party has long been eyeing a return to talks with China that had fallen away under previous administrations.

 

I think Labour entered government very clear that they wanted to resume that sort of high-level dialogue that had been missing during COVID. And I think that's also this trip is a culmination of sort of a lot of the ministerial back and forth we've seen in the past year.

 

Starmer’s trip may prove to be a test — whether the two sides can overcome mistrust and put aside sharp differences after a long rough patch in their relationship.

 

Devin Tsai and John Van Trieste for TaiwanPlus.