China, UK agree to maintain dialogue to try to keep ties stable
- Foreign Secretary James Cleverly held talks with China’s vice-president and top diplomat in Beijing on Wednesday
- He told media he raised issues where the countries had ‘disagreements’ but stressed the need for a ‘pragmatic working relationship’
Cleverly is the first senior UK official to visit China since Jeremy Hunt travelled to Beijing as foreign secretary in 2018. Relations have taken a nosedive since then over issues such as Beijing’s human rights record in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, as well as growing tensions between China and the Group of Seven advanced economies, to which Britain belongs.
In their meeting, Han said China and the UK, as permanent members of the UN Security Council and major economies, must take care of each other’s “core interests” and concerns in the face of global risks and challenges.
“China and the UK need to … maintain communication in international and regional affairs to jointly promote development of global peace,” Han said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“Economic and trade cooperation is the foundation for the healthy and stable development of China-UK relations. The two governments should create a good business environment for enterprises and actively explore new growth points for practical cooperation,” Han added.
Cleverly noted China’s role in international governance and agreed to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication with Beijing to build consensus and deepen cooperation, according to CCTV.