In a phone call on Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take a “long-term and strategic view” of their countries’ relationship, advocating for increased dialogue and cooperation. This call, initiated by Starmer, was the first between the two leaders since March 2022, when Xi spoke with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Xi expressed China’s willingness to engage with the UK on an equal footing, based on mutual respect, understanding, and trust. He emphasized that China values Britain’s interest in strengthening engagement and dialogue. Xi suggested enhanced cooperation in areas such as finance, the green economy, artificial intelligence, and people-to-people exchanges.
In response, Starmer congratulated Xi on China’s success at the Paris Olympics and highlighted the mutual benefits of a closer UK-China relationship. He reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to the one-China policy and expressed hope for greater cooperation in areas like economy, trade, finance, education, clean energy, and health, as well as joint efforts on global issues such as climate change.
This recent call follows a string of diplomatic interactions between the two nations. Last month, Chinese Premier Li Qiang congratulated Starmer on becoming Prime Minister, underscoring China’s commitment to strengthening ties with the UK. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is also considering a visit to China, building on groundwork laid by Catherine West, who visited Beijing in March to meet with key Chinese officials.
Starmer’s Labour government is expected to review the UK’s China strategy within its first 100 days in office, although a formal “China strategy” document has not yet been committed to. Meanwhile, China is monitoring the potential deployment of the UK’s carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific in 2025, a plan announced by former UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. Shapps has stated that freedom of navigation, including through the Taiwan Strait, is universally recognized, although the exact route for the carrier group is still pending.
