UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting China this week with a high-level delegation, marking the first trip by a British leader since 2018 to revitalize bilateral ties. Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, stressing economic cooperation and multilateralism. Discussions covered trade, investment, and Hong Kong's stability.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Beijing from January 29 to 30, 2026, meeting Chinese leaders to advance Sino-British relations. Accompanied by senior finance and trade officials and executives from major UK firms, the trip aims to bolster economic cooperation, a cornerstone of bilateral ties.
In their meeting, President Xi Jinping urged China and the UK, as supporters of multilateralism and free trade, to jointly advocate and practice true multilateralism. He stressed that international law is effective only when all nations abide by it, with major powers leading to avoid a law-of-the-jungle world. Starmer gifted Xi a Manchester United match ball, as Xi is reportedly a fan, while Starmer supports Arsenal, highlighting football diplomacy.
At the closing of the UK-China Business Council meeting in the Great Hall of the People, Premier Li Qiang called for carrying forward the "ice-breaking spirit" and tightening cooperation bonds amid unilateralism and geopolitical tensions. He noted China's economy showed resilience last year and that the 15th Five-Year Plan will create vast opportunities. Priorities include expanding services trade, innovating in artificial intelligence, clean energy, biomedicine, and high-end manufacturing, exploring third-market cooperation, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.
Starmer affirmed the UK's commitment to a long-term strategic partnership based on mutual respect and trust. In 2025, bilateral goods trade reached $103.7 billion, with two-way investment stock at nearly $68 billion and services trade expected over $30 billion. China is the UK's largest Asian trading partner, and the UK is China's third-largest in Europe. Starmer emphasized Hong Kong's prosperity and stability as shared interests and raised the national security trial of media figure Jimmy Lai.
Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang said closer collaboration benefits the UK's goals. A British Chamber survey shows 76% of UK firms in China plan to maintain or increase investments. UK companies like AstraZeneca and Standard Chartered are optimistic about China, while Chinese firm Xiaomi plans 150 stores in the UK.
The visit underscores economic cooperation as the ballast of Sino-UK relations, with trade growth delivering benefits despite global challenges.
