Starmer met Premier Li Qiang at G20 in South Africa amid Beijing visit rumours

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit last week amid speculation that he could visit Beijing early next year and the country’s controversial embassy in London will be approved.

The two leaders are understood to have greeted each other only briefly during a “brush-by” rather than holding formal bilateral talks, after which a readout covering what was discussed would usually be expected from Starmer’s office.

China was represented by Premier Li rather than President Xi Jinping at the meeting in the South African city of Johannesburg last week.

It comes after Starmer vowed he would “robustly” protect the UK’s national interests amid questions about the UK government’s continued engagement with China.

Asked last week if he would visit the country, Starmer said no visit had been confirmed yet, while officials refused to comment on speculation about a planned Chinese “mega embassy” near the Tower of London.

“Our approach is the same approach as we’ve always taken, which is cooperate where we can and challenge where we must, particularly on national security,” he said.

South China Morning Post