BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - UK prime minister Keir Starmer has arrived in China for a three-day visit.
Speaking to reporters on board his flight to the Chinese capital, Starmer said his visit will be benefitial for people 'back at home', and that he wants 'a comprehensive and consistent approach to China.'
During the first Chinese visit by a UK leader since 2018, Starmer will travel to Beijing and Shanghai accompanied by nearly 60 British businesses and cultural organisations.
He will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday for talks on trade, investment and national security, before travelling to Shanghai for a range of engagements with British and Chinese businesses.
Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle and Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby will join the Prime Minister on the visit.
Alongside a delegation of leading UK businesses and cultural organisations such as HSBC, GSK, Jaguar Land Rover and the National Theatre, the Prime Minister will push for access in areas where better co-operation with China would boost growth and deliver prosperity for the British people, the Prime Minister's Office said in a press release. That includes the UK's world-leading financial services sector, creative industries and life sciences expertise.
Ahead of his visit, Prime Minister Starmer said, 'For years, our approach to China has been dogged by inconsistency - blowing hot and cold, from Golden Age to Ice Age. But like it or not, China matters for the UK.'
As one of the world's biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest. That does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges they pose - but engaging even where we disagree.
Since taking office, the Labor government has re-engaged with China - recognising that it is one of the world's most consequential powers and its monumental growth has a significant impact on the lives of the British people.
The world's second largest economy, a crucial player in global supply chains, and a growing military power, China is the UK's third largest trading partner and supports 370,000 British jobs.
In a time of growing global instability, where events abroad continue to rebound on people at home, the British Prime Minister has promised to act in the UK's national interest.
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