British prime minister Keir Starmer will meet China's Xi Jinping on Monday at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, the premier's office said.
Starmer will meet the Chinese president "for the first time" and "seek serious, stable and pragmatic engagement with China", Downing Street said in a statement.
It will be the first bilateral meeting between Xi and a British prime minister since February 2018, when he met Theresa May.
Starmer, who took office in July, "will be firm on the need to have honest conversations on areas of disagreement," Downing Street added.
Speaking to journalists en route to the summit, the British premier said he wanted to improve bilateral relations.
"Given the size of the economy it is very important that we have a pragmatic and serious relationship and that's what I intend to pursue," he said, quoted by Britain's Press Association news agency.
Ties between London and Beijing have been at a low ebb for years, after British criticism that special freedoms guaranteed under Hong Kong's mini-constitution have been eroded.
With wider claims of Chinese espionage and political interference as well as Beijing-backed cyberattacks, some British lawmakers have demanded a tougher line against China.
But Starmer's administration sees the opportunity for a reset of relations.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy travelled to China in October, where he met his counterpart Wang Yi.
Acknowledging areas where the two sides have "different perspectives", Lammy said he hoped the two countries could "find space to discuss such areas constructively". (AFP)
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)