British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing today, affirming a shared commitment to a long-term strategic partnership benefiting both countries while maintaining frank dialogue on disagreements, according to Starmer's statement on X posted between 9:16 AM and 10:16 AM UTC on January 29, 2026. Starmer stated that growth at home is directly linked to engagement with the world's biggest powers and emphasized that as Prime Minister he will always deliver in the interest of the British people. The post follows their earlier meeting this morning where Starmer raised concerns about Jimmy Lai's imprisonment and Uyghur treatment, as reported by Sky News citing Starmer's prior statement. No details on Xi's response to the partnership affirmation were provided in the new statement. The discussions build on Xi's earlier call to rise above differences for world peace and Starmer's push for a more sophisticated UK-China relationship, per Politics UK reports from earlier today.
