However, the UK prime minister began the trip by saying he wanted to bring “stability and clarity” to the bilateral relations after years of “inconsistency” under the Tories when it went from “golden age to ice age”. In opening remarks before their talks, Xi told Starmer: “Your visit this time has drawn a lot of attention. On the eve of the visit, Starmer had spoken to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the prime minister is expected to seek Xi’s support in bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine. In response, Starmer told Xi he wanted a “more sophisticated” relationship between the two countries. Zhao Leji said it was “significant” to develop the UK-China relationship “well” amid the “changing and turbulent international landscape”.