The Labour government, elected in July, has sought to improve the UK’s relationship with Beijing after the two countries fell out during the latter years of Conservative rule.
Relations fell to their lowest level in decades due to UK criticism of China’s crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, claims of Chinese espionage and political interference in the UK, as well as Beijing’s support for Russia in its war with Ukraine.
In a major thawing of tensions, Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at the G20 summit last November – the first bilateral meeting between leaders of the two countries since 2018.
Finance minister Rachel Reeves then visited China last month seeking investment to kickstart growth in Britain’s anaemic economy, while Lammy visited Beijing in October.
The UK government says it continues to raise concerns over human rights, including China’s treatment of Uyghurs and the imprisonment of media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
