Britain and China are talking but ‘irritants in the relationship will remain’

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s one-day trip to Beijing seen as helping to reopen the communication channels

But observers say China is sceptical, as the Sunak government faces criticism of its engagement policy at home

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British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly meets Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, in Beijing on Wednesday. Wang urged London to push bilateral ties “forward rather than backward”. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 10:00am, 3 Sep 2023

The British foreign secretary’s China visit last week helped to reopen the lines of communication and set the stage for a possible leadership summit, but observers say any thaw in ties may not last.

They say Beijing remains sceptical of London’s sincerity, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government struggles to balance Britain’s economic interests and security concerns amid criticism of its engagement policy at home.

Still, James Cleverly noted that “diplomacy matters” as he boarded a flight back to London after a one-day visit to Beijing on Wednesday – the first by a senior British official in five years.

James Cleverly also met Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng while he was in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

During the ice-breaking trip, Cleverly met Vice-President Han Zheng and top diplomat Wang Yi, who said China attached importance to Britain’s global power status and urged London to push bilateral ties “forward rather than backward”, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Cleverly raised thorny issues including human rights concerns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, stability in the Taiwan Strait, China’s alleged malign cyber activity, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and North Korea, according to a Foreign Office statement. He also urged China to drop sanctions on some British lawmakers.

But he also told reporters that it would be a mistake to isolate the world’s second-largest economy.

Yu Jie, a senior research fellow on China at Chatham House, a think tank in London, said while it marked a reopening of communication channels, a “substantial improvement” in ties should not be expected from one visit.