UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will pledge a more consistent and pragmatic partnership with China aimed at boosting growth and making the British economy "better off," Downing Street said on Tuesday, as he seeks to reset bilateral ties after years of what he described as "policy inconsistency."

Starmer arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for an official visit to China from January 28 to 31.

He is accompanied by a delegation of nearly 60 representatives from British business, sport and cultural organizations, including HSBC, GSK, Jaguar Land Rover and the National Theatre, according to a press release from the prime minister's office.

Calling China "one of the world's most consequential powers," Starmer's office said engagement with the world's second-largest economy and the UK's third-largest trading partner was firmly in Britain's national interest, and the prime minister has promised to act "in a time of growing global instability." China currently supports 370,000 British jobs, according to the UK government.

"For years, our approach to China has been dogged by inconsistency – blowing hot and cold, from Golden Age to Ice Age. But like it or not, China matters for the UK," the prime minister's office quoted Starmer as saying.

The trip follows "the successful 2025 Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) that secured £600 million in immediate benefits and the first UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) since 2018," the press release said.

Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle and Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby are also on the trip.

Kyle was quoted as saying he "wants to see trade flourish between us. From financial services to advanced manufacturing and the global energy transition, the UK's strengths increasingly align with the rapidly evolving Chinese economy."

China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the country stands ready to take this visit as an opportunity to enhance political mutual trust with the UK, deepen practical cooperation and jointly open a new chapter of healthy and stable development in China-UK relations, while working together to make due efforts and contributions to world peace, security and stability.