Speculation on a Beijing trip comes as Britain\u2019s PM said he would protect UK national interests after questions about engagement with China.<\/b>
\nBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit last week amid speculation that he could visit Beijing early next year and the country\u2019s controversial embassy in London will be approved.
The two leaders are understood to have greeted each other only briefly during a \u201cbrush-by\u201d rather than holding formal bilateral talks, after which a readout covering what was discussed would usually be expected from Starmer\u2019s office.
China was represented by Premier Li rather than President Xi Jinping at the meeting in the South African city of Johannesburg last week.
It comes after Starmer vowed he would \u201crobustly\u201d protect the UK\u2019s national interests amid questions about the UK government\u2019s continued engagement with China.
Asked last week if he would visit the country, Starmer said no visit had been confirmed yet, while officials refused to comment on speculation about a planned Chinese \u201cmega embassy\u201d near the Tower of London.
\u201cOur approach is the same approach as we\u2019ve always taken, which is cooperate where we can and challenge where we must, particularly on national security,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n