00:00UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer walks into the
00:05Beijing Hall, where he is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
00:09Starmer is the
00:10first British Prime Minister to set foot on Chinese soil in eight years, and it's been
00:14a
00:15rocky eight years, from Beijing's crackdown on protesters and former British colony Hong Kong
00:20to allegations of Chinese spying in the UK.
00:23But recently, there is
00:25also been a global realignment, so to speak, as ties between the US and its allies
00:30fray.
00:31Starmer wants a fresh start, and China wants to show itself a stable
00:35partner during chaotic times.
00:37Starmer has publicly called China a
00:40national security threat, but today he says differences can be managed.
00:45to the benefit of people in the UK.
00:50Starmer is the
00:51world's name, and it's vital, fulfilled, or sophisticated relations.
00:55where we've identified opportunities to collaborate.
01:00and, of course, also allow people to guide on areas
01:05China, it seems, is on the same page.
01:08China is on the same page.
01:09China is on the same page.
01:10China is on the same page.
01:15She can't talk to me
01:20Not everyone in Britain is as upbeat about expanded ties with China.
01:23A so-called mega-emba-
01:25embassy China has planned in a part of London with sensitive telecom infrastructure has
01:29drawn pro-
01:30But analysts say there's a practical need for Stormer to see what's possible.
01:35With a major scientific and political power, even if the UK-China relationship-
01:40isn't one of trust.
01:41There are things that China's doing in cancer research, in-
01:45Obama, in other areas, which are very, very important.
01:48And we have to work out how do we-
01:50engage with China?
01:51How do we research with China?
01:53It's our second largest research partner after-
01:55the United States.
01:56We just have to have more clarity about whether we can go ahead-
02:00with these, or if we say no, whether we're willing to bear the costs in that.
02:05And some say recent transatlantic frictions aren't the only reason to engage.
02:10The New Yorkers Labour Party has long been eyeing a return to talks with China that had fallen
02:14away under pre-
02:15previous administrations.
02:16I think Labour entered government very clear that they wanted to resume-
02:20that sort of high-level dialogue that had been missing during COVID.
02:24And I think that's also-
02:25So this trip is a culmination of sort of a lot of the ministerial back and forth we've seen
02:29in the past sort of year.
02:30Yeah.
02:30Starmer's trip may prove to be a test. Whether the two sides can over-
02:35become mistrust and put aside sharp differences after a long rough patch in their relationship.
02:40Devin Tsai and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
02:45Transcription by CastingWords
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