China Irked as UK’s Starmer Raises Taiwan, Jimmy Lai With Xi

(Bloomberg) -- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised concerns over human rights and Taiwan in his first meeting with President Xi Jinping, prompting Chinese officials to usher journalists out of the room.

“I’m very pleased that my foreign secretary and Foreign Minister Wang met recently to discuss respective concerns including on human rights and parliamentary sanctions, Taiwan, the South China Sea and our shared interest in Hong Kong,” Starmer told Xi at a meeting on Monday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where leaders are gathering for the Group of 20 summit.

“We are concerned by reports of Jimmy Lai’s deterioration,” the premier added, a reference to the Hong Kong ex-media mogul and democracy advocate who is accused of sedition and collusion under a Beijing-imposed security law. His trial resumes again on Wednesday, and Lai is expected to testify for the first time.

The awkward encounter demonstrates the challenge for Starmer as he pursues a thaw in ties with Beijing, following years of frosty relations under the previous conservative administration in London.

Human rights and Taiwan are among the most sensitive topics for China, two of the four “red lines” Xi spelled out in his meeting on Saturday with US President Joe Biden. The others include containing its economic rise and challenging the supremacy of the Communist Party.

China claims Taiwan as its own and has threatened to take the island by force if necessary.

The Chinese readout of the meeting didn’t reference Taiwan or human rights, instead saying that Xi sought cooperation in boosting trade, investment and finance with the UK. The Chinese leader has used his visits to the APEC and G-20 summits to bolster ties with US allies and security partners before the presidency of Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose 60% tariffs on the world’s second-biggest economy.

Although two nations have different values and social systems, two nations “should view each other’s development rationally and objectively,” Xi told Starmer, according to a readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

--With assistance from Jing Li.