Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed "really good progress" on issues including visa-free travel and tariffs during talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday.
Starmer's visit to China is the first by a British premier since 2018 and follows a slew of Western leaders seeking a rapprochement with Beijing recently, pivoting from an increasingly unpredictable United States.
Xi and Starmer met at the opulent Great Hall of the People and both stressed the need for closer relations in order to face geopolitical headwinds.
Starmer told Xi that China is a "vital player on the global stage" and that they needed to "build a more sophisticated relationship where we identify opportunities to collaborate".
The Chinese leader also stressed the need for stronger ties with a "long-term view" in the context of what he called a "complex" international situation.
Cooperation, he said, would unlock a "new chapter" in their relations.
Starmer, who is in China until Saturday, later told reporters that the bilateral relationship was in "a strong place", with progress made on issues such as whisky tariffs.
He signed a series of cooperation agreements after meeting Premier Li Qiang, with Downing Street announcing Beijing had agreed to visa-free travel for Brits visiting China for under 30 days.
The agreements also included cooperation on targeting supply chains used by migrant smugglers, as well as on British exports to China, health and strengthening a UK-China trade commission.
The issue of irregular migrants is highly sensitive for Starmer, who has promised to crack down on people smugglers and stem a wave of arrivals that has fuelled rising support for the far right.
Li hinted that "China and the UK can restart their golden era", enjoyed by the two countries a decade ago.
"China and the UK have successively resumed dialogue and exchanges in multiple fields... This fully demonstrates that China and the UK are adhering to development and cooperation," Li told Starmer.
The British leader in turn reiterated his commitment to "find ways to work together in a manner which is fit for these times".
Starmer will also travel to economic powerhouse Shanghai on Friday before making a brief stop in Japan to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Starmer's trip, as well as recent visits by other Western leaders, showed increased desire for economic cooperation with China.
Resident Xie Yu, who lived in London as a graduate student, said European economies have been hit hard by Trump's tariffs and were "struggling".
Xie said he hoped more Chinese would have the chance to study abroad as he did.
"Exchanges between young people can help be a foundation for overall ties between the two countries in the future."
Relations between China and the UK deteriorated from 2020 when Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong and cracked down on pro-democracy activists in the former British colony.
Nevertheless, China - the world's second-largest economy - remains Britain's third-largest trading partner.
Starmer is accompanied by around 60 business leaders as well as cultural representatives, as his centre-left Labour government looks to fulfil its primary goal of boosting UK economic growth.
British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced during the visit it would invest $15 billion in China through 2030. - AFP
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