British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's ongoing visit to China is expected to solidify political trust and deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries through enhanced high-level dialogue and economic engagement, according to a Chinese international affairs expert.
Starmer arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin a four-day official visit at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, marking the first visit by a British prime minister to China in eight years.
The UK prime minister held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, with the two sides agreeing to develop a long-term and stable comprehensive strategic partnership.
Wang Zhanpeng, executive deputy dean of the Country and Area Studies Academy (CASA) at Beijing Foreign Studies University, stressed the significance of these high-level interactions in strengthening political trust and advancing bilateral relations, particularly given the length of time that has passed since a British prime minister last visited.
"High-level visits and high-level exchanges will enhance the strategic communications between the two countries, for political trust. So for the two countries, it's important to respect, mutually, each other's core interests, treat equally, and develop win-win cooperation," Wang said in an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) on Thursday.
The visit underscores the robust economic partnership between China and the UK, with Starmer leading a delegation of over 50 senior executives from leading British companies spanning finance, medicine, manufacturing, and the creative industries.
This engagement builds on the strong the bilateral trade and investment figures seen between the two countries, with the total merchandise trade between China and the UK surpassing 100 billion U.S. dollars last year, while two-way investment neared 68 billion U.S. dollars.
The sizable British business delegation is also set to visit Shanghai during Starmer's trip, and Wang pointed to the considerable scope for further cooperation across multiple areas.
"Most members of the delegation are from businesses and enterprises. Economic cooperation, trade, and investments are the keywords for this visit. Traditionally in the past, we like to see the economic relations between China and the UK as complementary, so we had a division of labor. But now, we can work together for better development, for innovation-driven growth, for higher quality development," the scholar said.
Wang also believes Starmer's trip will help pave the way for deeper cooperation agreements at the 2026 China-UK Business Council Meeting, with both sides emphasizing the importance of a stable, rule-based business environment, especially against the challenging current global backdrop.
"To guarantee a stable, predictable, and sound business environment is essential for more trade and investment between the two countries. As global protectionism is rising, the rule of law is very important in the business environment. So, the China-Britain Business Council is a very important non-governmental collaboration mechanism between China and the UK. We look forward to the success of this annual meeting of the council," he said.
Wang also highlighted the crucial role the two countries can play worldwide, noting China and the UK are well positioned to make major contributions in terms of security, global governance, climate action, and upholding the international order.
"China and the UK are permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations, which take greater responsibilities for global governance and for the maintenance of the international order. So, the world now is facing deficits in security, in peace, in development and governance. So, these two important countries should work together to maintain commitments to the international order on the basis of international law and the UN Charter. We also can work together to play a leading role in combating climate change and help developing countries for a better, fairer distribution of technology and finance for the green development, and for the use of digital technology," he said.
High-level exchanges to cement China-UK ties, strengthen strategic communication: expert
