Sir Keir Starmer is travelling to Beijing, becoming the first British prime minister to visit China since 2018, as the UK government seeks to reset relations with the Asian power.
During the trip, Sir Keir is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. He is accompanied by around 60 British business and cultural leaders, including representatives from HSBC, pharmaceutical giant GSK, Jaguar Land Rover and the National Theatre.
The visit marks the most significant step so far in the government’s efforts to rebuild ties with China. However, critics argue that Beijing’s contrasting political system, human rights record and security concerns mean the UK should approach engagement with far greater caution.
Responding to questions about whether human rights issues would be raised, Downing Street said the prime minister would “raise challenging issues where interests and values differ”.
China has faced international criticism over alleged crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, as well as the treatment of Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who faces a potential life sentence.
Security concerns also loom large, with the head of MI5 recently warning that Chinese state-linked espionage poses a daily national security threat to the UK.
Despite these issues, Downing Street has defended the visit. Speaking ahead of the trip, Sir Keir said the UK’s approach to China had long been inconsistent, swinging between extremes, but stressed that China remains too important to ignore.
“As one of the world’s biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with China is firmly in our national interest,” he said, adding that engagement does not mean overlooking disagreements, but continuing dialogue even where differences exist.
