British Prime Minister Keir Starmer played nice with Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where he expressed a desire for a “more sophisticated relationship” with the Communist power. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made overtures to China earlier this month, agreeing to a “strategic partnership” for greater mutual investment. Starmer told Xi ahead of the meeting that it was crucial to “identify opportunities to collaborate” while also allowing a “meaningful dialogue on areas where we disagree.”Those areas where Starmer and Xi disagree got little to no spotlight. Starmer told reporters he had a “respectful discussion” with Xi about the imprisonment of Lai, but no further details were offered. “We raised those issues, as you would expect,” Starmer told the press.