Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses a business delegation following his arrival to China, at a hotel in Beijing on January 28, 2026. After years of strained ties, China and the U.K. are looking to develop a long-term strategic partnership following a high-stakes meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer is on a 4-day visit to China, the first trip by a British prime minister in eight years — signaling an attempt at resetting relations between the two countries after years of distrust and acrimony. The U.K. has often accused China of conducting espionage in the country, and labeled it as a long-term strategic challenge. The British government as recently as December moved to clamp down on two tech companies based in China, allegedly for carrying out cyberattacks that it said had undermined U.K. security and prosperity.