Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 summit in Brazil, marking the first in-person meeting between a UK prime minister and the Chinese leader since 2018.
The UK government has emphasized a commitment to maintaining “stable and pragmatic engagement” with China.
Sir Keir plans to highlight areas of mutual cooperation, including international stability, climate change, and economic growth, while also addressing contentious issues. Downing Street stated that the discussions would be “rooted at all times in the UK’s national interests,” with Sir Keir prepared to have “honest conversations on areas of disagreement.”
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Speaking en route to the summit in Rio de Janeiro, Sir Keir underscored his priority to rally global support for Ukraine, urging G20 nations to strengthen their assistance. He warned of “unfathomable consequences” if Russia were allowed to emerge victorious in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
The summit occurs against a backdrop of intensified Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine and as the conflict approaches its 1,000th day. Reports also indicate the US has authorized the use of long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike Russian targets—a move previously limited to occupied Ukrainian territories. The UK, which has provided Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, had advocated for such actions but awaited US approval before aligning its policy.
Downing Street has not commented directly on the US decision but reaffirmed the UK’s support for Ukraine.
Sir Keir’s meeting with President Xi on Monday follows their phone call in August after Labour’s electoral victory. China’s military ties with Russia have drawn criticism from the UK and other Western nations, further complicating the relationship.
The prime minister said: “It is in the UK’s best interests to engage on the global stage – whether that’s building strong and fruitful partnerships with our closest allies or being frank with those whose values differ from our own.
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“Close cooperation with the world’s leading economies is vital to secure investment into the UK, and create the jobs needed to catalyse growth.”
Foreign Secretary David Lammy held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as well as Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, in Beijing last month.
The last British prime minister to meet President Xi was Theresa May, who hailed a “golden era” for UK-China relations during her 2018 visit to the country.
However, since then there have been tensions over issues including China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority group in Xinjiang and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.
Last year, then-Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said China was “the biggest state-based threat to our economic security”.
But like the current government, he also said it was necessary to engage with China on issues like climate change and the global economy.
The G20 is made up of 19 countries with the largest global economies as well as the African Union and the European Union.
Downing Street said the prime minister would also be focusing on building partnerships that increase economic growth and security during the summit, accelerating the climate transition and use of clean power, and supporting the economic development of developing countries.
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