British PM Starmer Meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, seeking closer trade ties while balancing sensitive issues of national security and human rights. 

This is the first visit to China by a UK prime minister since 2018 and follows a slew of Western leaders seeking support from Beijing recently, pivoting



from an increasingly unpredictable United States.

Starmer held talks with Xi at the opulent Great Hall of the People, and the two leaders will later have lunch. Starmer, who is in China until Saturday, also met the country's third highest-ranking official Zhao Leji in the morning and is expected to hold talks with Premier Li Qiang in the afternoon.