The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Keir Starmer , held a bilateral meeting with the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping , something that had not happened between the leaders of both countries since 2018. Although it took place in the context of, and was officially held on the sidelines of, the G20 summit held in Brazil.
According to The Telegraph, Starmer told Xi Jinping that China should respect Taiwan's "partial autonomy" and avoid militarisation in the Pacific, to which the Chinese president replied that the United Kingdom should respect the resolutions of the United Nations (UN) decolonisation committee and avoid militarisation in the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic .
After being reprimanded, Starmer spoke out in favour of a strong relationship between his country and the People's Republic of China, considering it something important for both nations and for the international community.
"We want our relationship to be consistent, long-lasting, respectful and, as we have agreed, to avoid surprises wherever possible ," Starmer said of his ties with China.
Prior to the meeting, the British government had announced that Starmer would hold a "pragmatic" meeting with Xi Jimping during the summit, arguing that both countries are "global actors, global powers and permanent members of the Security Council (of the UN) and the G20," reported the Canal 26 portal.
Ahead of the meeting, Starmer acknowledged the importance of the Chinese economy: "China's economy is obviously the second largest in the world. It is one of our biggest trading partners and so I will be conducting serious pragmatic negotiations with the president when we meet."
Relations between the United Kingdom and China have deteriorated in recent times, especially with differences over foreign policy issues regarding certain territories.
“China and Britain should take a rational and objective view of each other’s development, enhance strategic communication and deepen political mutual trust ,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday, as reported by the People’s Daily.
For his part, Starmer said that “the United Kingdom and China share broad common interests and have important responsibilities to address global challenges and safeguard world peace and development,” adding that “a lasting and strong bilateral relationship is vital not only for the two countries but also for the world in general.”
“The British side hopes to strengthen dialogue with China, enhance mutual understanding and carry out exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of fields, such as economy and trade, technology, finance, health, education and combating climate change, in a spirit of mutual respect, equality and openness ,” Starmer said.
“Both countries are committed to multilateralism and the UK is willing to strengthen multilateral communication and coordination with China to push for political solutions to critical regional issues ,” he added.
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