British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held his first in person meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on November 18, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, being held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The two men had previously held a telephone conversation on August 23.
In his opening remarks, borrowing from the British Labour Party’s stated policy goals, Xi noted that the new government was “working to fix the foundations of the economy and rebuild Britain.” He added that while the two countries differ in history, culture, values, and social systems, they share extensive common interests and enjoy vast space for cooperation in such areas as trade and investment, clean energy, financial services, healthcare and people’s well-being, which should be further expanded to better benefit both peoples.
Starmer responded by saying that, in advancing their shared goals, his approach would be consistent, respectful and pragmatic. The Prime Minister’s office’s read out of the meeting, added: “On climate, in particular, both said that this should be high on the agenda and there was more work to be done to accelerate global progress towards net zero. Both the UK and China have an important role to play in support of the global clean power transition.”
The British Prime Minister welcomed the recent visit to Beijing and Shanghai by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, looked forward to the planned China visit by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, planned for early next year, and expressed hope for the resumption of full, high-level bilateral engagement with China, which has been interrupted over recent years.
However, much of the goodwill generated by the meeting would have been spoiled by Starmer’s tactless and undiplomatic behaviour in publicly raising a number of contentious issues, in particular the case of Jimmy Lai, publisher of the former scurrilous newspaper, Apple Daily, who has been described by the Chinese Embassy in London as, “one of the most notorious anti-China elements bent on destabilising Hong Kong… Jimmy Lai was a major plotter and instigator of the anti-China riots in Hong Kong. He blatantly colluded with external forces in jeopardising national security, solicited foreign support, and committed various sinful deeds.”
It is, of course, an act of the most revolting and blatant hypocrisy for Starmer, who has defended and abetted Israeli genocide in Gaza, the most egregious violation of human rights in the world at present, and who continues to do so; and whose government is engaged in a brutal campaign of politically motivated persecution and attempted intimidation of journalists who dare to point out the truth of what is happening in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East, such as Richard Medhurst, Sarah Wilkinson and Asa Winstanley, to accuse the leaders of other countries of abuses of human rights or violations of press freedom.
In its editorial comment on the meeting, the Morning Star described it as “long overdue”, noting:
“There is plenty of room for growth, especially in exports to China, where Britain lags far behind Germany, France and Italy. Relaxing the US-inspired ban on selling key electronic, micro-processing and [supposed] ‘dual use’ (civilian-military) engineering products to China would help.
“Restrictions on Chinese investment in Britain already hold back the roll-out of 5G technology and the application of quantum physics – in which China leads the world – to computing, communications, geology and medicine.”
The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and the Morning Star.
Xi calls on China, Britain to adopt rational, objective perspective on each other’s development
RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 18 — China and Britain should adopt a rational and objective perspective on each other’s development, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Leaders’ Summit.
The two countries should enhance strategic communication and deepen political mutual trust to ensure a steady, substantial, and enduring development of bilateral relations, he said.
Noting that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, Xi said that China and Britain, both as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major global economies, share the responsibilities of advancing their respective national development and addressing global challenges.
Both countries should stick to their strategic partnership, adhere to the principles of mutual respect, open cooperation, and mutual learning, strive for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and jointly write the next chapter of healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, he added.
Xi said that while the two countries differ in history, culture, values, and social systems, they share extensive common interests.
The two countries enjoy vast space for cooperation in such areas as trade and investment, clean energy, financial services, healthcare and people’s well-being, which should be further expanded to better benefit the people of both nations, he added.
China and Britain should promote political solutions to global issues, strengthen global governance on artificial intelligence, and contribute to world economic growth and the common development of all countries, he said.
Starmer said that Britain and China share extensive common interests and bear significant responsibilities in addressing global challenges and safeguarding world peace and development, adding that an enduring and strong bilateral relationship is vital not only for the two countries but also for the world at large.
The British side hopes to strengthen dialogue with China, enhance mutual understanding and carry out exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of areas, including economy and trade, technology, finance, healthcare, education, and addressing climate change, in a spirit of mutual respect, equality and candor, said Starmer.
Both countries are committed to multilateralism, and Britain stands ready to enhance multilateral communication and coordination with China to push for political solutions to regional hotspot issues, he added.
Co-operation between Britain and China is an absolute necessity
The meeting between a British prime minister and China’s President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro today was long overdue.
Reportedly, Keir Starmer wants a “consistent, respectful and pragmatic” relationship between the two countries, with an emphasis on progress towards clean energy.
But he is especially keen to improve Britain’s prospects for economic growth by increasing British exports to China and Chinese investment in Britain.
Britain’s economy has grown by just 3 per cent from its pre-Covid level, less than any other G7 country except Germany. IMF and OECD forecasts indicate further small advances this year and next, thanks in part to the October Budget. Even so, the Office for Budget Responsibility projects a slowdown in growth from 2 per cent in 2025 to 1.5 per cent before the end of the decade.
Despite all the tax cuts, tax breaks and state subsidies, many of our much-vaunted “entrepreneurs” have concentrated more on filling their boots and stashing their wealth overseas than they have on investing in their workforce and creating a modern, productive economy.
For the past 20 years, Britain has been at or near the bottom of the G7 league of biggest capitalist economies when it comes to business investment (as a proportion of GDP). Our “entrepreneurs” languish in 28th place out of 31 in the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Without our admittedly average level of state capital spending, Britain would be rock-bottom in the G7 and OECD in terms of overall economic investment. Yet no Labour minister praises public-sector “entrepreneurship.”
Investment, like growth, must also consider quality as well as quantity. In Britain, far too much capital is channelled into the financial markets, real estate and cheap labour and production overseas.
Fawning upon “entrepreneurs” in the embarrassing manner of Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will not make them change their ways. Slapping a wealth tax on them and taking vital industries — water, gas, electricity, armaments, pharmaceuticals — out of their hands would have a more sobering impact.
Unfortunately, we have a Labour government that is afraid of its own shadow despite its overwhelming majority at Westminster. It is too afraid to take the bold measures necessary to raise the British economy to a qualitatively higher level.
So Starmer turns to China, Britain’s fifth biggest trading partner, looking to boost exports and inward investment after several years of heavy decline.
There is plenty of room for growth, especially in exports to China, where Britain lags far behind Germany, France and Italy. Relaxing the US-inspired ban on selling key electronic, micro-processing and “dual use” (civilian-military) engineering products to China would help.
Restrictions on Chinese investment in Britain already hold back the roll-out of 5G technology and the application of quantum physics — in which China leads the world — to computing, communications, geology and medicine.
China will reciprocate any moves towards stronger economic relations, all the more so if we abstain from US-led military provocations around Taiwan and the South China Sea.
The likely response to a Britain-China rapprochement from a US Trump administration packed with anti-China war hawks will be decidedly cooler.
The Starmer-Labour government will have to choose: the servile “special relationship” with a US in decline or friendship with a China on the rise as part of a genuinely independent, peace-seeking and green foreign policy for Britain?
