Starmer met with Xi and secured visa-free access for Britons to China as part of a new partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping praised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's landmark visit to China, and in return, the UK promised broader access to Chinese markets for the British service sector, including visa-free travel, as ties between the two countries continue to improve, UNN reports, citing Bloomberg.

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Beijing has pledged to "actively consider" unilateral visa-free entry for the UK and expand economic cooperation, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday after Xi welcomed Starmer to the Chinese capital for the first such visit by a British prime minister in eight years.

"I appreciate your public statement that China offers opportunities and that engagement with China is important," Xi said in his opening remarks. China seeks a "long-term, stable" partnership with the UK, he added.

Starmer called for a "more advanced" relationship. He told the Chinese leader that while the countries differ on key issues, deepening ties are vital for British economic security and global stability.

As Politico notes, speaking after the meeting, Starmer spoke of a "strategic, consistent and comprehensive partnership" with the Asian superpower.

The British Prime Minister told broadcasters that he and Xi had a "good, productive" meeting with "concrete results," including progress on reducing tariffs on whiskey, visa-free travel to China, and cooperation on combating illegal migration.

He said: "We have made really significant progress on whiskey tariffs, visa-free travel to China, and information sharing."

According to Starmer, they also "respectfully" discussed topics such as the imprisonment in Hong Kong of former media mogul Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, and China's treatment of Uyghurs.

After Starmer and Xi agreed in Beijing to build more stable relations, the UK promised broader access to Chinese markets for the British service sector, including visa-free travel.

China will relax rules for British business travelers and tourists, allowing them to enter the country without visas for stays of less than 30 days, the UK government announced on Thursday. The move will bring the country closer to other nations such as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, the statement said.

The UK and China also plan to conduct a study on whether to conclude a bilateral services agreement, the Prime Minister's Office said. Meanwhile, both sides have agreed on a "services partnership" that will allow British health, finance and professional services, legal, and education sectors "clearer rules, better market access, and support to increase sales in China," the UK government said.

The visa and services moves are concrete results for the British Prime Minister, who has faced domestic criticism from political opponents over his visit to China.

The meeting, the publication writes, marks a deliberate reset for London, which seeks to focus bilateral relations on economic interests after they froze due to Beijing's alleged human rights abuses, the Covid-19 pandemic, and espionage accusations.

For Xi, Starmer's visit is a confirmation of cooperation with China, despite Washington's desire to limit Beijing's global influence, the publication notes.

Separately, British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca Plc said it would invest $15 billion in China by 2030 to expand drug manufacturing, as well as research and development, a further commitment to its already significant presence on the mainland.

The visit comes amid a "stream of G7 leaders," including US President Donald Trump, who will visit China in the first half of this year, many of whom have completed long periods of absence from the Chinese capital. While the Republican leader competes with US allies, Beijing seeks to smooth ties with Western countries by diversifying trade relations, the publication writes.

Visa-free access to the world's second-largest economy will promote business and interpersonal ties. China's comments on visas echo the wording a Chinese diplomat used to describe an agreement with Ottawa after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit earlier this month, although Carney then said Xi had "committed" to granting Canadians such access.

The day before meeting Xi, Starmer, shortly after arriving in Beijing, told a large delegation of British businesses and cultural institutions that they were "making history," stating that "it is in our national interest to engage with China."

A symbol of his efforts to restore ties was a gift prepared by the British leader: a match ball from a recent Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United. The Prime Minister is a well-known Arsenal fan, while Xi is said to be a fan of his rival.

Starmer also plans to attend business events with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. He will visit Shanghai and later travel to Tokyo to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is currently in her own diplomatic standoff with Xi, before returning to the UK.

China's official news agency Xinhua called Starmer's arrival a "key moment," while urging the UK to adopt a policy free from external influence, a thinly veiled criticism of the UK's usual close coordination with the US. This echoed calls for Carney for "strategic autonomy" during his recent visit, which prompted Trump to threaten new tariffs on Canadian goods.

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However, Starmer told Bloomberg before his departure that the UK could open a dialogue with Xi without angering Trump or harming London's so-called special relationship with the US. He dismissed the idea that he would have to compromise his approach to the two states.

China's trade surplus with the UK surged last year, as exporters hit by Trump's trade war sought new markets, massively supplying the UK with phones, computers, and cars. Unlike the US and the European Union, the UK does not have punitive tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, which helps BYD Co. outperform Tesla in the UK market, the publication points out.

Starmer's government spent months preparing for this trip, including approving China's controversial plan for a huge embassy in London.

China granted permission to build Europe's largest embassy in London20.01.26, 20:51 • 5907 views

For the UK, diplomatic victories could include China's approval of the renovation of its dilapidated embassy in Beijing, although statements from both sides did not mention such an agreement.