UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised concerns over human rights and Taiwan in his first meeting with President Xi Jinping, prompting Chinese officials to usher journalists out of the room.

Sir Keir Starmer raised the case of jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in a landmark meeting with Xi Jinping on Monday, signalling he is prepared to challenge China over human rights abuses. It comes despite the prime minister’s plans to build a closer relationship with with Beijing after becoming the first British prime minister to meet the Chinese leader in more than half a decade,

Sir Keir Starmer raised the “deterioration” of jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai when he met Xi Jinping.The Prime Minister held talks with the Chinese president at the G20 summit in Brazil, where he also stressed he wants “respectful” relations between the UK and Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Monday that the two countries enjoy a vast space for cooperation, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. Xi and Starmer met in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit,