Keir Starmer to meet China’s President Xi in margins of G20 summit

Sir Keir Starmer volition conscionable Chinese President Xi Jinping astatine the G20 acme successful Brazil connected Monday, the archetypal clip a British premier has met him since 2018.

The brace volition clasp talks successful Rio de Janeiro connected Monday and Sir Keir pledged to person “pragmatic” discussions with the person of the Asian economical superpower erstwhile they speak.

The Xi gathering volition beryllium 1 successful a bid of discussions the Prime Minister is expected to person with satellite leaders astatine the two-day summit, with conflicts successful Ukraine and the Middle East apt to beryllium precocious connected the agenda.

Sir Keir said: “I americium readying to person a bilateral with President Xi astatine the G20. I deliberation that’s important.

“We are some planetary players, planetary powers, some imperishable members of the Security Council and of the G20.

“China’s system is evidently the 2nd biggest successful the world. It’s 1 of our biggest trading partners and truthful I volition beryllium having superior pragmatic discussions with the president erstwhile I conscionable him.”

The UK-China narration has deteriorated successful caller years, with concerns implicit security, quality rights and the sanctioning of Westminster parliamentarians souring ties with Beijing.

Despite the engagement by the Labour administration, the narration is inactive a agelong mode from the “golden era” nether the David Cameron and Theresa May administrations.

Asked if helium wanted a amended narration with Beijing than erstwhile governments, Sir Keir added: “Given the size of the economy, it is precise important that we person a pragmatic and superior relationship, and that’s what I mean to pursue.”

Trade could beryllium 1 of the issues that comes up for treatment amid interest implicit US President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to enforce tariffs connected imports.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden had a gathering with Mr Xi connected Saturday.

Former Tory person Sir Iain Duncan Smith, 1 of the MPs and peers sanctioned for speaking retired connected China’s quality rights record, told the Daily Mail: “This is precise sad. Those suffering genocide and enslaved labour nether the brutal hands of Xi volition consciousness betrayed.

“Starmer volition beryllium seen arsenic anemic by Xi who volition spot him arsenic coming to him successful a ‘kowtow’ begging for trade.”

Campaign radical Amnesty International UK’s main enforcement Sacha Deshmukh said Sir Keir indispensable rise the lawsuit of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy activistic and British nationalist imprisoned successful Hong Kong.

He said: “The appalling authorities of quality rights crossed China indispensable beryllium apical of the agenda, including raising alarm astir the industrial-scale repression of taste minorities successful Xinjiang and Tibet, the crushing of property state and hounding of activists and critics successful Hong Kong and China.

“Prime Minister Starmer indispensable besides beryllium wide that China’s run of terrorising students and campaigners here successful the UK volition not beryllium tolerated.”

Opposition frontbenchers criticised the Prime Minister for gathering China’s person arsenic Mr Lai’s proceedings is acceptable to begin.

Shadow Foreign Office curate Alicia Kearns told the PA quality agency: “On Keir’s archetypal telephone with Xi helium didn’t rise the lawsuit of British nationalist Jimmy Lai, and it is rather thing present to clasp a bilateral gathering with Xi the aforesaid week Jimmy volition yet beryllium taken retired of the torture of backstage detention lone to look successful a amusement proceedings whose sole intent is to prop up Xi and entrench their effort astatine strangling media freedoms and basal quality rights successful Hong Kong.”

Shadow information curate Tom Tugendhat, who has been sanctioned by Beijing, described Mr Lai’s lawsuit arsenic a “sham trial”.

He added: “Of people we request to speech to China – our embassy does that each time – but we the archetypal happening we request to bash is support our ain people.”