Visa-free travel to China announced during Starmer's Beijing visit

Under pressure from MPs on both sides of the aisle, Mr Starmer said he raised “areas of concern” during the talks, but it was not clear whether this included the ongoing detention of British citizen and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.

The new visa rules will apply to those travelling to China for business and as tourists and brings the rules for UK visitors in line with those from 50 other countries including France and Germany.

The change will not come into effect immediately, but Beijing is understood to have committed to unilateral visa-free entry for UK citizens with a start date to be confirmed.

British passport-holders currently need a visa to enter mainland China.

“As one of the world’s economic powerhouses, businesses have been crying out for ways to grow their footprints in China.

“We’ll make it easier for them to do so, including via relaxed visa rules for short-term travel, supporting them to expand abroad, all while boosting growth and jobs at home,” the Prime Minister said.

China will also reduce whisky tariffs for British exporters from 10 per cent to 5 per cent, Downing Street.

Sir Keir met Mr Xi at the Great Hall of the People on the first morning of his trip to China, the first by a UK prime minister since Theresa May in 2018.

He told him he wanted a “more sophisticated” relationship with China at the start of the meeting, while Mr Xi said relations had been through some “twists and turns” in recent years.

The men met with their delegations for about an hour and 20 minutes, followed by a 20-minute four-way meeting with national security adviser Jonathan Powell and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and then a lunch that lasted just over an hour.

Sir Keir arrived alongside a delegation of 54 representatives of British businesses and cultural institutions looking to deepen ties with the country.

The Prime Minister also raised “areas of concern” during the talks, Downing Street said.

Sir Keir has faced calls to raise the jailing of Mr Lai and the treatment of the Uighur minority with the Chinese leadership.

He said they had a “respectful discussion” on those issues and that this was “part and parcel of the reason to engage”.

The Prime Minister 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.”

Downing Street declined to be drawn on details of the discussions on contentious issues including Mr Lai, MPs sanctioned by China, Uighurs and Beijing’s purchase of Russian oil hit by western sanctions seeking to cripple its war effort in Ukraine.

His official spokesman would not say whether Sir Keir told the Chinese president that Mr Lai should be released, but said that the Government’s position calling for his immediate release has not changed.

According to his son, the 78-year-old British national has spent five years in solitary confinement in treatment which amounts to “torture” under Hong Kong’s new national security law.

On Ukraine, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “Both leaders were clear about the shared aim to see the war brought to an end.”

Beijing said the leaders agreed both sides should develop a “long-term, stable and comprehensive strategic partnership”.

A Chinese readout of the meeting said that China will not “pose a threat” to other countries.

Setting out what Sir Keir raised in the meeting, it says that the UK’s policy on Taiwan “remains unchanged and will not change”.

“Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability are in the common interest of both countries, and the UK welcomes Hong Kong as a unique and important bridge between the UK and China,” Beijing’s readout also said.

After the meeting, Sir Keir toured the Forbidden City, and then received a ceremonial welcome at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People ahead of his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qian.