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China-UK relations
ChinaDiplomacy

James Cleverly to become first British foreign secretary to visit China in 5 years as London looks to rebalance relations with Beijing

  • The visit expected to take place next week will be a key test of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s attempts to ‘evolve’ British policies towards China
  • The UK is trying to strike a balance between engaging with Beijing on issues such as climate change while focusing on economic security

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British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is expected to visit China next week. Photo: Reuters
Finbarr Berminghamin BrusselsandChad Brayin London
James Cleverly will become the first British foreign secretary to visit China for five years next week, in what will be a test for his government’s efforts to rebalance the relationship with Beijing.
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He is expected to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday, although no final date has been set for a meeting with Wang Yi, his Chinese counterpart.

The British Foreign Office declined to comment on whether Cleverly would travel to China this month, but Beijing’s former ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming confirmed the trip on social media.

“With regards to UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly’s visit to China at the end of this month, we value growing stable and mutually beneficial relations with the UK and are open to strengthening bilateral exchanges with the UK,” Liu wrote on Twitter.

It will mark the first visit of Britain’s top diplomat to Beijing since Jeremy Hunt travelled in July 2018, but the world and the relationship between the two countries has changed dramatically in the intervening five years.

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Tensions have flared over Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong, China’s relationship with Russia, Britain’s close security ties with the United States, and Beijing’s rising assertiveness over the course of the pandemic.
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