Sir Keir Starmer has said he told Xi Jinping he wanted "respectful" relations with Beijing as he became the first prime minister to meet the Chinese president since 2018.The Prime Minister raised the case of detained pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in a sign he was prepared to challenge China over human rights abuses, but he also signalled a desire for greater business co-operation.Sir Keir also suggested a full UK-China meeting in London or Beijing as part of his desire for "consistent, durabl

Sir Keir Starmer has said he told Xi Jinping he wanted "respectful" relations with Beijing as he became the first prime minister to meet the Chinese president since 2018.The Prime Minister raised the case of detained pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in a sign he was prepared to challenge China over human rights abuses, but he also signalled a desire for greater business co-operation.Sir Keir also suggested a full UK-China meeting in London or Beijing as part of his desire for "consistent, durable, respectful" ties between the two countries.