Sir Keir Starmer said he made “good progress” on talks on tariffs and visa-free travel to China in his meeting with Xi Jinping.
He said he and the Chinese leader had discussed how “huge opportunities” in China could benefit people back in the UK.
He added: “We made some really good progress on tariffs for whisky, on visa-free travel to China and on information exchange and co-operation on irregular migration, focusing particularly on small boats and engine parts.
“So a very good, constructive meeting with real outcomes – and that’s very much in our national interest.”
China had said, in its own readout of the meeting, that it was willing to “actively consider” implementing unilateral visa-free entry for the UK.
Asked how forcefully he raised issues including the jailing of pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai and the treatment of the Uighur minority, Sir Keir said: “We raised those issues, as you would expect.
“Part of the rationale for engagement is to make sure that we can both seize the opportunities that are available, which is what we’ve done, but also have a mature discussion about issues that we disagree on.”
He said they had a “respectful discussion”, and that was “part and parcel of the reason to engage”.
