Read our Privacy noticeRecent “twists and turns” in the relationship between Britain and China are damaging to both countries, Xi Jinping told Sir Keir Starmer as the two leaders met in Beijing on Thursday. Asked how forcefully he raised issues including the jailing of Mr Lai and the treatment of the Uighur minority, Sir Keir said: “We raised those issues, as you would expect. It comes after his son Sebastien told The Times that the “normalising of relationships” between the UK and China “cannot happen until my father is free”. Thursday’s day of talks with the Chinese leadership began with Sir Keir meeting the chairman of China's National People's Congress, Zhao Leji. Mr Zhao said it was "significant" to develop the UK-China relationship amid the "changing and turbulent international landscape".