Britain's Keir Starmer tells Xi Jinping he hopes for 'honest' talks

By Peter Hutchinson with Peter Catterall in Beijing

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday he hoped they could have “honest” talks on thorny issues as they held the first call between the two countries' leaders in more than two years.

The official conversation was the first between the two men since Starmer took office last month, and was also the first official call between a British leader and Xi since March 2022.

The talks come amid strained relations between London and Beijing over espionage allegations and Beijing's tightening control over the former British colony Hong Kong.

The two countries nevertheless remain major trading partners and are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

According to a transcript of the Downing Street call, Starmer expressed hope that he and Xi “would be able to have open, frank and honest discussions to address and understand areas of disagreement where necessary.”

These issues include “Hong Kong, Russia's war in Ukraine and human rights,” the statement said.

China was Britain's fifth-largest trading partner in 2023, according to UK statistics, but diplomatic relations were frosty under Starmer's predecessor, Rishi Sunak.

Shortly after taking office in October 2022, Sunak declared the end of the so-called “golden age” of UK-China relations, touted by former Prime Minister David Cameron.

Sunak called China a “systemic challenge” to UK values.

Espionage allegations have since posed further obstacles to repairing relations, with Beijing saying in June that MI6 had recruited Chinese state employees to spy for the UK.

The move comes after British police in April charged two men under Britain's Official Secrets Counter-Intelligence Act, accusing them of spying for China.

Xi Jinping stressed to Starmer that China wanted to “make mutual benefit and common victory the fundamental tone of China-UK relations”, according to state broadcaster CCTV's report of the phone call.

His comments also seem to call for a reset of the relationship.

“China is willing to conduct equal-to-equal dialogue with the British side on the basis of mutual respect… (and) expand cooperation in finance, green economy, artificial intelligence, etc.,” Xi said.

Xi Jinping also congratulated Starmer on his ascension to the prime minister's post following his Labour Party's landslide victory over the Conservatives in the general election on July 4, CCTV reported.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang was the first senior Chinese leader to publicly congratulate Starmer, two days after the Labour leader took office.

Friday's phone call – which CCTV said took place at Starmer's invitation – is the first reported between top Chinese and British leaders since Xi spoke to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson on March 25, 2022.

“Coherent” relationship

Xi Jinping told Starmer that “China attaches great importance to the British side's wish to strengthen contacts and dialogue,” CCTV said.

He added that China is “willing to maintain exchanges with the UK at all levels, promote the long-term and stable development of China-UK relations, and work together to promote world peace and development.”

According to the Downing Street transcript, the leaders discussed “potential areas of cooperation… including on trade, economics and education” and “agreed on the importance of close collaboration on areas such as climate change and global security.”

The statement added that they also agreed “on the need for a stable and coherent relationship between the UK and China, including dialogue between their respective Foreign and Home Secretary's”.

The Guardian newspaper reported earlier this month that Britain's top diplomat, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, was planning to visit China in September.

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