President Xi ‘laughing his pants off’ at Keir Starmer as PM ‘raises concern’ about China

"Not long ago, he was complaining about Xi and China and their terrible human rights abuses, the fact they're locking up British citizens in Hong Kong today," Pottinger said.

He added: "Yet there he is, and what has he got out of that meeting? President Xi is going back and laughing his pants off saying, 'that idiot from the UK is going to give us what he wants!'"

The meeting between Starmer and President Xi took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

At the start of their talks, Starmer emphasised the importance of a "strong UK-China relationship" for both nations.

The Labour leader told Xi he wanted relations to be "consistent, durable, respectful" with an agreement to "avoid surprises where possible."

Through a translator, Xi responded that the two countries have "broad space for co-operation across various domains, including trade, investment, clean energy, financial services, healthcare and improving our peoples' well-being."

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The meeting marked the first encounter between a British prime minister and the Chinese president in six years.

Despite the cordial tone, Starmer raised several contentious issues during the meeting.

British journalists were removed by Chinese officials when Starmer brought up the case of Jimmy Lai, the British citizen and Hong Kong democracy activist currently detained.

The Labour leader expressed concern about Lai's deteriorating health in prison.

He also addressed sanctions imposed on several Conservative MPs, including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith.

Looking ahead, Starmer proposed a full bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in either Beijing or London.

He also arranged for Chancellor Rachel Reeves to meet with Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing this January to explore investment projects.

The meeting signals a shift in UK-China relations, which had significantly cooled in recent years.

The last British prime minister to meet Xi was Theresa May in 2018, during what was then hailed as a "golden era" for bilateral relations.

Relations subsequently deteriorated over issues including Hong Kong and cyber threats.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had previously described China as "the biggest state-based threat to our economic security."

However, Labour's approach appears more pragmatic, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy visiting China last month.

Starmer and Reeves are pursuing improved relations, suggesting the UK cannot achieve its growth ambitions without better terms with China.