Chinese President Xi Jinping met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday morning, January 29, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. During the meeting, both sides agreed to work toward building a long-term, stable, and comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the United Kingdom.
President Xi noted that the current international landscape is marked by instability and complexity. As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and two of the world’s major economies, China and the UK bear important responsibilities—whether in safeguarding global peace and stability or in promoting economic development and improving people’s livelihoods. He emphasized that closer dialogue and cooperation between Beijing and London are essential.
Taking a broader historical perspective, President Xi said China is willing to manage differences with the UK through dialogue and communication based on mutual respect, transform the vast potential of China–UK cooperation into tangible outcomes, and open new prospects for bilateral relations and cooperation. Such efforts, he stressed, would benefit not only the two peoples but also the world at large.
President Xi underscored that mutual trust is the foundation for the steady development of state-to-state relations. China has consistently pursued a path of peaceful development, has never initiated a war, nor occupied an inch of another country’s territory. No matter how developed or strong China becomes, it will never pose a threat to any other country. Rooted in its cultural traditions of “valuing harmony above all” and embracing the principle that “harmony can coexist with differences,” China views China–UK economic and trade cooperation as mutually beneficial and win-win in nature.
Noting that last year marked the conclusion of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and that this year ushers in the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, President Xi called on both sides to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in education, healthcare, finance, and services, and to strengthen joint research and industrial transformation in areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy, and low-carbon technologies, in order to achieve shared development and prosperity. China hopes the UK will provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises.
President Xi also highlighted that China and the UK are both major cultural powers that have made significant contributions to human civilization. He urged both sides to strengthen cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties, and to facilitate greater cross-border travel. China welcomes more visits from the UK government, parliament, and people from all walks of life, so they may gain a comprehensive, objective, and accurate understanding of China. China is also willing to give positive consideration to a unilateral visa-free policy for UK citizens.
Addressing global challenges, President Xi warned that unilateralism, protectionism, and power politics have gained ground in recent years, seriously undermining the international order. International law, he said, can only function effectively when all countries abide by it—especially major powers, which must set an example. China and the UK are both supporters of multilateralism and free trade, and should work together to uphold true multilateralism, promote a more just and reasonable global governance system, and advance equality-based, orderly multipolarity and inclusive globalization.
Prime Minister Starmer conveyed greetings from King Charles III to President Xi and said he was proud to be the first UK prime minister to visit China in eight years. He noted that he was accompanied by more than 60 senior representatives from the UK’s industrial, commercial, and cultural sectors, demonstrating the breadth of UK–China cooperation and the UK’s commitment to expanding and strengthening ties with China.
The UK and China, he said, are both major global economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council. Amid today’s volatile and fragile international environment, building a long-term, stable, and comprehensive strategic partnership with China based on mutual respect and trust is of great importance to the UK.
Prime Minister Starmer reaffirmed that the UK’s long-standing policy on the Taiwan question remains unchanged and will not change. He expressed the UK’s willingness to work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, strengthen dialogue and cooperation, and deepen collaboration in trade, investment, finance, environmental protection, and other fields, in order to inject momentum into economic growth and bring tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries. Greater people-to-people exchanges, he noted, would foster deeper mutual understanding, and the UK stands ready to enhance communication with China across various sectors, including between legislatures.
Starmer also emphasized that Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability align with the shared interests of both countries, and said the UK is pleased to view Hong Kong as a uniquely important bridge between the UK and China. Acknowledging China’s significant role in international affairs, he expressed the UK’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with China in addressing global challenges such as climate change, and to work together to safeguard world peace and stability.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was present at the meeting.
Source: Swarna-Hashim-Lily, China Media Group.