Xi and Starmer Pledge to Reset U.K.-China Ties in Beijing Meeting

President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed to stabilize and expand relations Thursday, pledging to build a “long-term strategic partnership” as the U.K. leader seeks to revive his country’s economy through renewed engagement with the world’s second-largest economy.

In the first visit by a British prime minister to China in eight years, Starmer met with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The meeting marks a significant diplomatic thaw following years of tension over human rights, Hong Kong and national security concerns that had chilled ties between London and Beijing.