Starmer’s China visit produced visa-free access and limited commitments

Keir Starmer travelled to China and met Xi Jinping on what the Guardian describes as the first prime‑ministerial visit since Theresa May in 2018, in a trip that mixed ceremony with tightly managed diplomacy. The article says the Chinese side “couldn’t really see the point” of the visit but agreed a short meeting after the UK gave the green light to a new “mega embassy” near the Tower of London.

Xi insisted on a joint statement rather than a joint press conference, and the one‑to‑one meeting had been scheduled to last about 40 minutes. Xi used the joint remarks to praise improved relations and to take a swipe at Conservative minister Kemi Badenoch, while urging both sides to put some differences aside and “let a hundred flowers bloom,” the piece reports.

He acknowledged mutual spying and quoted a proverb about seeing far into the distance. Starmer highlighted a number of practical outcomes in interviews, according to the article: Chinese companies would no longer supply outboard motors to people smugglers “not directly at any rate,” and British visitors would gain 30 days’ visa‑free access to China, matching Germany and France.

The Guardian notes other deals were “potentially in the offing,” but suggested China appeared more intent on selling than buying.

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