Chinese Premier Li Qiang held talks with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Beijing on Thursday, with the two leaders agreeing to deepen cooperation across various fields to promote the steady and long-term development of China-UK relations.

Starmer arrived in the Chinese capital on Wednesday to begin a four-day official visit at the invitation of Li, marking the first visit by a British prime minister to the country in eight years.

During talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Li said China is willing to continue working with the UK in the same direction, to respect each other's core interests and major concerns, strengthen strategic communication, solidify the foundation of mutual trust, and deepen cooperation across various fields to ensure the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations.

This will not only benefit the two countries in jointly addressing the risks and changes in the international landscape and promoting common development, but will also inject more positive energy into global peace and stability, Li said. 　　 China is ready to improve inter-governmental dialogue and cooperation mechanisms with the UK and conduct more frequent exchanges at all levels and across all fields, said the Chinese premier.

He called on both sides to leverage their complementary advantages to expand the scale and improve the quality of bilateral trade. The two sides should deepen cooperation in key areas such as finance, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, the digital economy and modern shipping services, Li said, stressing the need for mutual empowerment and better development in these emerging industries.

Li also called on the UK to provide a fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises investing in the UK.

Addressing the current international climate of rising unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonic bullying, Li called on China and the UK, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, to demonstrate the responsibility of major countries by strengthening multilateral communication and coordination, upholding the authority of the UN, safeguarding multilateralism and free trade, and promoting the development of the international order in a more just and rational direction. 　　 For his part, Starmer reaffirmed the UK's willingness to adhering to the spirit of mutual respect, candor, and openness, and to strengthening high-level exchanges and dialogue with China.

He expressed support for open and free trade and a desire to deepen cooperation in the economic, trade, and cultural fields. He also extended a welcome to Chinese enterprises to invest and cooperate in the UK.

The British prime minister added that the UK is ready to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to jointly address global challenges and open a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries.

Following the talks, Li and Starmer jointly witnessed the signing of several cooperation documents across multiple key sectors covering the economy and trade, agriculture and food, media, education and market regulation.