Sir Keir Starmer has said he intends to pursue a “pragmatic” relationship with China when he meets President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit.
The prime minister said the size of China’s economy and its membership of the UN security council meant he wanted to have “serious and pragmatic discussions” with the Chinese leader during his time in Rio de Janeiro.
Speaking to reporters on a plane bound for the Brazilian city, Sir Keir said the UK and China were “both global players, global powers, both permanent members of the security council and of the G20”.
“China’s economy is obviously the second biggest in the world,” he said.
“It’s one of our biggest trading partners and therefore I will be having serious, pragmatic discussions with the president when I meet him.”
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Sir Keir’s meeting with President Xi – his first as prime minister and the first of any prime minister in six years – will take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit, where the war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East and climate change are likely to top the agenda.
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Donald Trump’s victory in the US election earlier this month has also sparked concerns of a global trade war in light of the president-elect’s threat to impose blanket 60% tariffs on US imports of Chinese goods – something the UK will want to mitigate the worst impacts of.
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The previous Conservative government had a complex relationship with China, owing to disagreements over its treatment of prosecution of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and its close relationship with Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
A number of Conservative backbenchers urged Rishi Sunak to upgrade its assessment of China from an “epoch-defining challenge” to a threat.
The calls came after the government blamed China “state-affiliated actors” for two “malicious” cyberattack campaigns in the UK back in March. China rejected the accusations, saying they were “completely unfounded”.
Sir Keir and his foreign secretary, David Lammy, have also been critical of China in the past – particularly regarding allegations of human rights abuses against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
In January 2021, in response to a vote in the Commons on trade deals between the UK and countries that are suspected of committing genocide, Sir Keir posted on X: “Labour condemns the persecution of the Uyghur community in China. We will be supporting amendments in parliament today to ensure Britain never turns a blind eye to genocide.”
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Asked whether he still stood by what he said nearly four years ago, Sir Keir pointed to a recent session of prime minister’s questions where he criticised China’s military activity in the Taiwan strait when asked to do so by Mr Sunak.
He added: “But I do think it’s important that we have serious engagement, which is what I will be pursuing in my bilateral at the G20.”
This year’s G20 will be one of the last outings on the world stage for US President Joe Biden before Mr Trump enters the White House in January.
