Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, seeking closer trade ties while balancing sensitive issues of national security and human rights.
This is the first visit to China by a UK prime minister since 2018 and follows a slew of Western leaders seeking support from Beijing recently, pivoting from an increasingly unpredictable United States.
Starmer was holding talks with Xi in the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing. The two countries are expected to sign a number of agreements later in the day.
Starmer, who is in China until Saturday, also met the country's third-highest-ranking official, Zhao Leji, in the morning and is expected to hold talks with Premier Li Qiang in the afternoon.
Zhao said relations were on "the correct track to improvement and development" amid a "turbulent international landscape".
Starmer called the visit "historic" and said it was a chance to "find positive ways to work together".
He will travel to economic powerhouse Shanghai on Friday before making a brief stop in Japan to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Downing Street has lauded the China visit as an opportunity to strengthen trade and investment ties while discussing thorny topics including human rights.
Repairing ties
Starmer told Xi it is "vital" to develop ties between the two countries.
"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," Starmer said.
China — the world's second-largest economy — remains Britain's third-largest trading partner, though UK exports to the Asian giant plummeted 52.6 percent year-on-year in 2025, according to British government statistics.
The visit by Starmer, who took the helm in 2024, follows finance minister Rachel Reeves's trip to Beijing last year, as the centre-left Labour government looks to improve trade relations and fulfil its primary goal of boosting UK economic growth.
He is accompanied by around 60 business leaders from the finance, pharmaceutical, automobile and other sectors, as well as cultural representatives, as he tries to balance attracting vital investment and appearing firm on national security concerns.
Starmer's trip also comes as Britain faces a rift with its closest ally, the United States, following US President Donald Trump's bid to seize Greenland and his brief threat of tariffs against Britain and other NATO allies.
