BEIJING: PM Keir Starmer, arrived here Wednesday (28th Jan, 2026) accompanied by sixty British entrepreneurs and cultural leaders, for a 4-day visit, during which they will endeavour to augment trade relations.
Here the PM said, they were resolute about being outward-looking…“and always being absolutely focused on our national interest.”
It is pertinent to mention here that Since 2018 Keir Starmer is the first British Premier to visit Beijing.
British Premier Keir Starmer, who held an 80-minute summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, maintained: “China is a vital player on the global stage, and it’s vital that we build a more sophisticated relationship where we can identify opportunities to collaborate, but of course, also allow a meaningful dialogue on areas where we disagree.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping, pointing towards vicissitudes in Sino-UK relationship, noted that engagement was unavoidable: “We can deliver a result that can withstand the test of history,” Xi added. Meanwhile, UK-based pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, has proclaimed that it would invest fifteen billion dollars in China.
According to the Govt. of UK: Working people and UK businesses will benefit from a more strategic and consistent UK relationship with China. Since taking office, Starmer 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.China, the world’s second largest economy, is a crucial player in global supply chains, and a growing military power. It 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 Prime Minister has promised to act in the UK’s national interest.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer held: “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. This is what our allies do, and what I will do: delivering for the public, putting more money in their pockets and keeping them safe through pragmatic, consistent co-operation abroad.”
British PM’s delegation comprises of:
- Aberdeen Group – Jason Windsor
- AngloAmerican – Stuart Chambers
- Airbus – John Harrison
- Arup – Jerome Frost
- AstraZeneca – Pascal Soriot
- Baker McKenzie – Sunny Mann
- Barclays – Angela Liu
- Birmingham Museums Trust – Sara Wajid
- Bridgepoint Group – Tim Score
- British Airways – Colm Lacy
- Brompton Bikes – William Butler-Adams
- Ceres Power – Warren Finegold
- China Britain Business Council – Sebastian Wood
- Chucklefish – Donna Orlowski
- Clifford Chance – Adrian Cartwright
- CVC – Robert Lucas
- Edinburgh International Book Festival – Jenny Niven
- Feng Ling Productions- Farooq Chaudhry
- Freshfields – Georgia Dawson
- GSK – Sir Jonathon Symonds
- Haleon – Brian McNamara
- Halle – David Butcher
- Heatherwick – Craig Miller
- HSBC – Brendan Nelson
- Holland & Barrett – Anthony Houghton
- Jaguar Land Rover – Pathamadai Balaji
- KPMG – Melissa Geiger
- Mayor of West Midlands – Richard Parker
- Lady Mayor of the City of London – Susan Langley
- Liberty London – Andrea Petochi
- FTSE Russell (an LSEG business) – Fiona Bassett
- McLaren – Nicholas Collins
- National Galleries of Scotland – Anne Lyden
- National Museums Liverpool – Laura Pye
- National Theatre – Kate Varah
- Natural History Museum – Doug Gurr
- North East Museums – Keith Merrin
- Octopus Energy – Greg Jackson
- Pearson – Omar Abbosh
- Prudential plc – Anil Wadhwani
- PwC – Marco Amitrano
- Relx – YS Chi
- Royal Museums Greenwich – Paddy Rogers
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Sarah Bardwell
- Royal Shakespeare Company – Daniel Evans
- Schroders – Richard Oldfield
- Science Museum Group – Shri Mukundagiri
- Standard Chartered – William Winters
- Table Tennis England – Sally Lockyer
- USTWO Games – Maria Sayans
- V&A Museum – Timothy Reeve
- Visit Britain – Patricia Yates
- World Professional Billiards & Snooker Association – Jason Ferguson
- 8 lions – Jiella Esmat
Newspakistan.tv
Nimra Jamali writing on international politics for Newspakistan.tv since its inception.
