By Our Correspondent

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday hosted the visiting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Beijing and told him that China would never pose a threat to other countries regardless of its growth, amid heightened tensions between US and regional countries.

Speaking during talks with British Prime Minister Starmer, Xi emphasized China’s commitment to peaceful development, saying the country has never initiated a war or occupied foreign territory.

He also said Beijing is willing to actively consider granting unilateral visa-free entry to British citizens, in a move aimed at boosting people-to-people exchanges.

“Both sides should enhance cultural and people-to-people ties and further facilitate travel,” Xi said, according to China’s official readout of the meeting.

Starmer, on the first full day of his three-day visit, first of any British leader in last eight years, said the UK is seeking a “more sophisticated relationship” with China, according to the BBC.

He is the first British prime minister to visit China since 2018, signaling a cautious diplomatic re-engagement after years of strained relations.

China’s readout said the two leaders discussed cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including education, healthcare, finance, artificial intelligence, and new energy.

Xi acknowledged that China-UK relations have seen “twists and turns” but said engagement between the two countries is “unavoidable.”

Sensitive issues including Taiwan and Hong Kong were also raised. The statement said the UK’s policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, noting London does not recognize the island as a state, while the UK views Hong Kong as a “unique and important bridge” between the two countries.

Xi also called on both sides to promote “genuine multilateralism” and work toward a more just global governance system, warning that unilateralism and power politics have undermined the international order, remarks widely seen as a reference to US-led policies.

Analysts say Starmer’s visit sends a signal that major economies are increasingly reluctant to absorb the impact of trade pressure and tariff threats, particularly as US President Donald Trump has escalated tensions with the European Union and Canada.

Following his meeting with Xi, Starmer is scheduled to tour the Forbidden City and attend a signing ceremony for bilateral agreements alongside Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

While deep differences remain between London and Beijing, political analysts say the talks mark the beginning of a slow diplomatic thaw, rather than a full reset, in UK-China relations. However, Starmer visit indicate UK policy to move toward China after recent tension with Trump.