United Kingdom: The United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Mr. James Cleverly will visit Beijing amid criticism from some of the MPs regarding the government’s approach to China.
Mr. Cleverly, the first senior UK minister to travel to China since 2018, commented that China’s global significance meant it could not be ignored. But MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee stated that the government’s strategy on China was incoherent. During the visit, Mr. Cleverly will hold talks with China’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Wang Yi and Vice-President Mr. Han Zheng.
The Foreign Secretary has promised to raise concerns over human rights issues, including those in Xinjiang and Tibet, as well as the treatment of Hong Kong and sanctions placed on UK MPs. The agenda further includes the war in Ukraine and cyber security. Mr. Cleverly remarked that “no significant global problem, from climate change to pandemic prevention, from economic instability to nuclear proliferation, can be solved without China.”
“China’s size, history, and global significance mean they cannot be ignored, but that comes with a responsibility on the global stage. That responsibility means China fulfilling its international commitments and obligations,” the Foreign Secretary added.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mr. Wang Wenbin noted that “international and regional issues of common concern” would be discussed. “We hope the British side will work with us to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, deepen exchanges, enhance mutual understanding, and promote the stable development of Sino-British relations,” Mr. Wenbin added.
The visit comes as a Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report on UK policy in the Indo-Pacific criticises the government’s approach to China. The report refers to the activities of the Chinese Communist Party as “a threat to the UK and its interests.”
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