RIO DE JANEIRO – Sir Keir Starmer will hold talks with the Chinese President for the first time at the G20 on Monday, saying it was in the UK’s interests to have a “serious and pragmatic” relationship with the world’s second-biggest economy.
In what will be the first meeting between a British Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping in six years, Starmer pledged to engage in areas of “clear, mutual agreement” with China.
The pair will meet at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in what is the latest step in an overall softening in diplomacy between Downing Street and Beijing.
It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited the Chinese capital and Shanghai last month in a bid to thaw relations between the two countries.
It is widely expected that another diplomatic mission will take place early next year when Chancellor Rachel Reeves is likely to take a trip to China in an attempt to forge closer economic ties.
Speaking to journalists ahead of the meeting with Xi, Starmer said it was “important” that he held talks with the Chinese leader.
“We are both global players, global powers, both permanent members of the security council and of the G20,” he said. “China’s economy is obviously the second biggest in the world. It’s one of our biggest trading partners, and therefore, I will be having serious, pragmatic discussions with the president when I meet him.”
The decision to engage with China comes despite Labour pledging last year to pursue Beijing through the International Criminal Court over its “genocidal” treatment of the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province.
Lammy said in March 2023 that Labour in government would work “multilaterally with our partners” to pursue China over its “genocide”.
Tory China hawks have attacked Starmer over his decision to engage with Beijing, with leading Tory Iain Duncan Smith warning that China has “no regard for the UK” as he urged against closer ties with the superpower.
The last British prime minister to hold bilateral talks with their Chinese equivalent was Theresa May back in 2018.
Since then, the UK has chosen to keep Beijing at arm’s length over its treatment of the Uyghur people as well as its backing of Russia and the invasion of Ukraine.
President Xi raised particular concerns in British diplomatic circles when he appeared alongside Vladimir Putin in the wake of the Ukraine offensive, insisting that the two countries shared a bond “without limits”.
Elsewhere, Starmer said shoring up support for Ukraine would be his number one priority during the G20 this week.
His comments come amid growing concerns over continued US backing for Kyiv following the election of Donald Trump to the White House. The president-elect has previously raised doubts about whether he would continue to fund the war effort to the same level.
Despite this, the Prime Minister vowed to “double down” on securing support for Ukraine in the face of ongoing Russian aggression, which will reach its 1,000th day on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters en route to Rio, the Prime Minister said: “I am going to make shoring up support for Ukraine top of my agenda as we go into the G20 because [we have had] 1,000 days of aggression, 1,000 days of sacrifice by the Ukrainians.
“Therefore I think it’s really important we double down and give Ukraine the support that it needs for as long as it needs it.”
Starmer also made pointed remarks towards his German counterpart, Olaf Scholtz, after the Chancellor held telephonic talks with Vladimir Putin last week.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Scholtz’s decision, warning it risked opening a “Pandora’s Box”.
Russia today launched the biggest airstrike on Kyiv in months, with more than 200 strikes hitting the Ukrainian capital, killing at least seven people.
Asked for his thoughts on Scholtz’s decision to hold a call with the Russian President last week, Starmer added: “It’s a matter for Chancellor Schloz, who he speaks to; I have no plans to speak to Putin.”
The Prime Minister also warned that the appearance of North Korean troops on the Russian frontline had far-reaching consequences for global security.
“I think, on the one hand, it shows the desperation of Russia, but it’s got serious implications for European security – that added additional element – and for Indo-Pacific security. And that’s why I think we need to double down on shoring up our support for Ukraine.
“There’s got to be full support for as long as it takes,” he added.
The Prime Minister also rejected suggestions that efforts by both the incoming Trump administration and Argentinian President Javier Milei to undermine the G20’s communique on climate change signalled the “death knell” for international cooperation on combating global warming.
