Blair met Jia Qinglin, a senior figure in the Communist party's politburo standing committee, in his Downing Street offices and talked about trading, bilateral issues and North Korea, the spokesman said.
He declined to give further details but the meeting came as it emerged that North Korea told China it had no plans for a second nuclear test, following a first blast on October 9 which drew condemnation around the world.
Tough United Nations Security Council sanctions have since been imposed on North Korea.
The meeting followed an earlier one between Jia and Britain's Lord Chancellor Charles Falconer, who is in charge of constitutional affairs.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006