Keir Starmer visits China seeking cautious thaw with Xi in Beijing

Yesterday Keir Starmer became the first British prime minister to visit China since Theresa May in 2018, meeting Xi Jinping in Beijing and saying he wanted to bring "stability and clarity" to the UK’s approach to Beijing. Xi told Starmer the relationship had gone through "twists and turns" and that a more "consistent" approach was in both countries' interests; Starmer said he wanted a "more sophisticated" relationship.

Number 10 is aware that China is the world’s second-largest economy, a central player in technologies shaping the future and a geopolitical power, and Starmer is attempting to engage Beijing while keeping close to both Brussels and Washington rather than framing the trip as a rupture with the US.

Laura Chappell, associate director for international policy at the Institute for Public Policy Research, told the Guardian expectations should be modest: the visit is "more careful", aiming to signal an exit from an "Ice Age" and begin a cautious thaw, but she does not expect transformational change or major announcements that would dramatically alter the UK’s growth trajectory.

The article says the UK’s China policy has been described as "confused", with rhetorical frameworks such as "cooperate, compete, challenge" lacking strategic action.

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