BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s President Xi Jinping discussed stepping up cooperation with Britain in finance, the green economy and artificial intelligence in a phone call with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, Chinese state media said.
The Chinese leader also congratulated Starmer on his Labour Party’s July election win in the call that China said had been requested by Britain, the Xinhua news agency reported.
There was no immediate confirmation or broader comment from London.
Starmer’s government said in June it will carry out an audit of Britain’s relationship with China to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities Beijing poses.
The two countries’ ties came under considerable strain over the course of Britain’s previous Conservative government, over Hong Kong, British accusations of rights abuses, and concerns about Chinese firms’ involvement in providing critical infrastructure.
In 2022, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared the end of a so-called “golden era” of relations that one of his predecessors, David Cameron, had championed.
Xi told Starmer he hoped “the British side will look at China objectively and rationally”, Xinhua said.
Xi added that “China is ready to engage the United Kingdom in dialogue on an equal footing, on the basis of mutual respect… (to) enhance understanding and mutual trust,” Xinhua reported.
The Chinese leader added that he saw scope to “expand cooperation in finance, the green economy and artificial intelligence,” the report added.
(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Christina Fincher and Andrew Heavens)
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