Xi, Starmer break the ice as AstraZeneca plans $15bn China investment
Chinese and British leaders seek to repair ties but analysts see modest outcomes
TOKYO -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, as Europe's second-largest economy seeks to realign ties with Beijing while managing uncertainty in its "special relationship" with the U.S.
Starmer told Xi that he hopes for "more sophisticated" relations with China, a "vital player on the global stage," according to a media pool report. Xi emphasized a need for dialogue and overcoming differences with respect, and said ties had gone through "twists and turns that did not serve the interests of our countries."
In a pre-departure briefing to his cabinet, Starmer had highlighted "significant business opportunities," and expressed hope of repairing bilateral ties that "had veered from the golden age to the ice age." The newly appointed HSBC chair, Brendan Nelson, is reportedly among more than 50 executives from British companies accompanying Starmer on his four-day visit through Saturday.
AstraZeneca, the major U.K. pharmaceutical company, on Thursday pledged to invest $15 billion to expand its medicine production and research and development in China through 2030.
"What they want, and what I want, is to grow and expand in China and take advantage of all you have to offer while delivering jobs for the British people," Starmer told Xi on behalf of the business delegation.
In a readout carried by Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Xi urged Starmer to pursue common prosperity by expanding cooperation in education, health care, finance, as well as joint research into artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy and low-carbon technologies.
In veiled criticism of the U.S., Xi warned that the world risks sliding into the "law of the jungle," with unilateralism, protectionism and power politics on the rise. He called on both China and the U.K. to uphold multilateralism and free trade to achieve a more equal and orderly multipolar world.
The last British leader to go to China was Theresa May in early 2018. May built on the "golden era" promoted by her predecessor, David Cameron, which saw Huawei participate in British communications infrastructure as trade and investment took precedence over national security concerns.
The honeymoon period ended under Rishi Sunak, whose Conservative government labeled Beijing an "epoch-defining and systemic challenge" to the U.K.'s values and interests.
One immediate dilemma for Starmer was how to deal with the U.K.'s widening trade deficit with China, whose surplus doubled to $66.44 billion in 2025 from $32.66 billion in 2018. Chinese vehicles, led by BYD, accounted for 12% of the U.K.'s new passenger car market at the end of September, a share that could rise following the introduction of a new tax on electric vehicles.
Starmer said after the meeting with Xi that there had been "real concrete outcomes," the BBC reported, citing progress on whisky tariffs and 30-day visa-free entry to China for British citizens.
The two countries also struck a border security deal aimed at preventing Chinese-made small boat engines from being used for illegal English Channel crossings, an effort by Starmer to align his domestic priorities with the trip.
The results left some analysts unimpressed, however. "It's hard to see how this moves the needle on growth or can be sold as a great victory for the U.K.," Sam Goodman, senior policy director at the China Strategic Risks Institute, told Nikkei Asia.
Also looming over the visit were questions of human rights, from Xinjiang and Tibet to Hong Kong. Late last year, a Hong Kong court convicted pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, of colluding with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials. The British government condemned the verdict, while Lai's son, who lives in the U.K., urged London to "put actions behind words" and secure his father's release.
Rights groups have also accused China of "transnational repression" against activists in the U.K. and elsewhere. "Keir Starmer cannot remain silent," Amnesty International posted on X this week. "The U.K. must protect activists, counter transnational repression, and uphold human rights."
On Thursday, Starmer said he "raised those issues as you would expect" and that the discussion was "respectful."
Starmer has pledged to pursue a "strategic and consistent strategy" toward Beijing without compromising national security. He stressed his approach follows the pattern of recent China engagement by leaders of France, Germany and the U.S. to ensure that the U.K. is not "missing out."
The U.K.'s diplomatic fine-tuning vis-a-vis Beijing mirrors moves by Canada, which is seeking to diversify trade and investment partnerships beyond the U.S. amid persistent trade friction with President Donald Trump. But like Canada, which Trump has threatened with tariffs if it pursues a trade deal with Beijing, London risks jeopardizing its long-standing ties with Washington.
Not only does Starmer's visit come at a tense time in the West, but he also landed in a China that was just shaken by the purge of Gen. Zhang Youxia, the highest-ranking military official under Xi.
In an op-ed on Wednesday, the Global Times, the Chinese Communist Party-affiliated newspaper, wrote that improving China-U.K ties would create more opportunities for advancing a multipolar world, reiterating Xi's ambition to exert global influence under China's leadership.
Additional reporting by Carla Messinger and Clement Ngu in London.