On Thursday 13 February, Foreign Minister Wang Yi made his first official visit to Britain for the first time in a decade. The visit, which emphasised the need for stable communication and deeper cooperation, included meetings with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell.
During the visit, Wang and Lammy co-chaired the 10th China-UK Strategic Dialogue, where discussions covered economic cooperation, security, and geopolitical issues.
During the visit, Wang made the following points:
- Communication: China and the UK should strengthen dialogue and mutual trust.
- Cooperation: The recent China-UK Financial Dialogue yielded positive results, demonstrating the benefits of practical engagement.
- Global responsibility: As major countries, China and the UK should act responsibly on international issues.
The Prime Minister, who briefly joined Wang’s meeting with Powell, emphasised the following:
- Stability: The UK seeks a “consistent and respectful” relationship with China.
- Engagement: Britain will engage frankly on areas of disagreement while maintaining regular dialogue.
- Collaboration: Areas ripe for further UK-China collaboration include trade, investment, AI, clean energy, and climate change.
Lammy stated that he raised concerns over Ukraine, the Middle East, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, and sanctions on British MPs. In response, Wang outlined China’s position on Ukraine, calling for no escalation and supporting peace talks.
Following the meetings, China’s Foreign Ministry outlined key agreements from the dialogue:
- Energy dialogue: The UK’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero will visit China for energy talks.
- Science and innovation: The UK’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology will visit China for bilateral cooperation discussions.
- Education: The UK’s Secretary of State for Education will hold ministerial talks in China.
- Trade and industry: Both sides will accelerate preparations for economic, health, and industrial cooperation forums.
- Financial and AI cooperation: The UK and China will deepen collaboration on financial services, clean energy, and AI.
- Global challenges: The two sides will expand cooperation on climate change, cybersecurity, and global governance.
Wang’s visit is just the latest sign pointing towards increased UK-China engagement under the current Labour government, a development welcomed by businesses with ties to both countries.
The Prime Minister met with President Xi Jinping in November 2024 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil, at which he emphasised the importance of a “strong UK-China relationship”. Then, in January of this year, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves visited Beijing for the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue, during which agreements worth £600 million were announced, focusing on areas such as financial services, trade facilitation, and climate-focused initiatives.
Image sourced from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office on Flickr
