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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday (August 23) that the two countries must be able to talk frankly about their differences and seek closer economic ties and work together on global issues.
China’s official news agency Xinhua reported that Xi Jinping expressed in a call with Starmer that he hoped Britain would “view China objectively and rationally.”
Starmer’s office said the two leaders discussed areas of cooperation such as trade, economy and education, and agreed that as permanent members of the UN Security Council, the two countries should work closely on global security and climate change.
“The prime minister added that he hopes leaders can have open, frank and honest discussions to address and understand, where necessary, areas of disagreement, such as Hong Kong, Russia’s war in Ukraine and human rights,” a statement from Starmer’s office said.
Chinese state media said the call was made at Britain’s request and that Xi and Starmer discussed strengthening cooperation in finance, the green economy and artificial intelligence. Xinhua said Xi had congratulated Starmer’s Labour Party on its victory in the July election.
The Starmer government said it planned to conduct an audit of Britain’s relationship with China to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities posed by Beijing.
Relations between Britain and China have been strained in recent years over the Hong Kong issue, allegations of human rights abuses in Britain and concerns about the involvement of Chinese companies in the provision of critical infrastructure.
In 2022, then-British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party announced the end of the “golden age” of relations with China championed by his predecessor David Cameron.
Xinhua News Agency quoted Xi Jinping as saying that China is willing to “carry out dialogue with ASEAN countries on the basis of equality and mutual respect to enhance understanding and mutual trust.”
The Chinese Embassy in London said Starmer told Xi that Britain’s policy toward Taiwan had not changed. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory, a stance fiercely opposed by Taiwan’s government.
The embassy said: “President Xi Jinping pointed out that China attaches great importance to the UK’s desire to strengthen engagement and dialogue and will maintain exchanges with the UK at all levels.”
Like most Western countries, Britain does not recognise Taiwan as a country, but it has an office in Taipei that promotes trade and educational links and provides assistance to tourists.
Read more by Euractiv
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