British PM Calls for Human Rights in China at G20, Unsettling Chinese Officials

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer poses for a photograph as he works while traveling on a government aeroplane en route to attend the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Nov. 17, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised human rights concerns with Chinese communist regime leader Xi Jinping at a G20 summit meeting on Nov. 18 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, prompting Chinese officials to remove journalists from the room, according to reporters on the scene.

This was Starmer’s first in-person meeting with Xi, and he stated the need for a strong UK–China relationship.