Starmer and Xi hail reset, with help from AstraZenecaReuters and AP, BEIJINGBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday hailed a reset of ties, pledging to build an economic partnership with deals including a major investment by AstraZeneca that they said would benefit both countries. Relations have deteriorated over allegations of Chinese spying in the UK, China’s support for Russia in Moscow’s war on Ukraine and the crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. However, he also said the closer ties would enable the UK to engage in “frank dialogue” when there was disagreement. State-run China Central Television said Xi had stressed, without mentioning the US directly, that “major powers” must adhere to international law or the world would regress into a “jungle.”

Source: Taipei Times January 29, 2026 17:15 UTC