RED MENACE
Keir Starmer insists ‘strong relationship with China IS important’ as he becomes 1st PM in five YEARS to meet Xi Jinping
The PM was blasted by Tories for the meeting
SIR Keir Starmer insisted a “strong UK-China relationship” is vital for both nations as he became the first PM in five years to meet Xi Jinping.
The PM called for ties with Beijing to be “consistent, durable, respectful” and vowed Britain would act as a “sovereign, predictable partner committed to the rule of law".
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His comments came as the two leaders held talks on the fringes of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro earlier this morning.
Sir Keir proposed a full bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing or London and said he was eager for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to meet Vice Premier He early next year.
He told reporters: “I’m keen that my chancellor should meet with Vice Premier He for the upcoming economic financial dialogue to explore more investment projects and a more level playing field to help our businesses."
The PM is understood to have also raised serious concerns during the talks, including tackling human rights abuses and the sanctions Beijing imposed on British MPs.
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He expressed alarm over the detention of Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai, saying: “We are concerned by reports of Jimmy Lai’s deterioration.”
Meanwhile, President Xi said China and the UK share the "dual responsibility" of "advancing our respective national development and addressing global challenges".
The President argued there was “broad space for co-operation” between the two countries, including on topics such as trade and clean energy.
He added: "We should take fostering greater development, better-serving our peoples and contributing more to the world as our goal.
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“Live up to our strategic partnership and commit to mutual respect, openness, co-operation, exchanges and mutual learning for shared benefit […] in doing so we will break new ground in the China-UK relationship amid a changing world and better underscore our relationship’s relevance for the times and its significance for the world.”
The historic meeting comes amid fears of a global trade war after Donald Trump's US election victory.
The President-elect has already threatened to impose tariffs of up to 60 per cent on Chinese exports.
China is the UK’s fifth-largest trading partner, with exports to Beijing rising from £20 billion in 2016 to £33 billion last year.
The last British Prime Minister to meet Xi was Theresa May in 2018, during what Beijing called the "golden era" of British-Sino relations.
But ties have since soured over China's crackdown in Hong Kong, spying fears and human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Tory former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith blasted the talks, telling The Sun: "This is very sad.
"Those suffering genocide and slave labour under the brutal hands of Xi will feel betrayed. We also know China is guilty of supporting Russia in its invasion of Ukraine with the deaths of 100 of thousands of people.
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"With sanctioned MP’s like me clear that China and its axis of totalitarian states pose a huge threat to us in the free world."
MI5 chief Ken McCallum warned last year of the risk that China continued to present by trying to steal “cutting-edge” British technological research.
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