UK’s Lammy visits China for ‘pragmatic’ reset of strained relations

Foreign secretary’s visit aims to shore up trade ties while challenging Beijing on support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has kicked off a two-day trip to China billed as a “pragmatic” reset of relations amid rising tensions over issues like Beijing’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Lammy met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Friday, acknowledging “areas in which we have different perspectives” while underlining that neither country “has an interest in escalation or greater instability”.

Wang, for his part, heralded the new Labour government’s plan to develop “pragmatic” ties as a “new starting point”, adding that the two countries “should become partners in responding to global challenges”.

However, while Lammy’s visit was aimed at shoring up trade ties, it takes place against a backdrop of previous clashes over the Ukraine war, the ongoing crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong and allegations of Chinese espionage.

On Ukraine, Lammy’s office had earlier said the foreign secretary would “urge China to stop its political and economic support of the Russian war effort”. China maintains it is a neutral party in the conflict and denies selling arms to Moscow.

Another major sticking point is Beijing’s handling of the former British colony of Hong Kong, where it introduced a sweeping national security law four years ago. London says the legislation erodes special freedoms guaranteed under Hong Kong’s mini-constitution.

A protester holds a flag that reads, ‘Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times’ at a rally in Hong Kong in 2019 [Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo]

Human Rights Watch on Friday urged Lammy to put respect for rights at the “very centre” of relations. Associate China Director Maya Wang pointed out that Lammy had come to office “promising to restore Britain’s commitment to international law.

“A visit to China, a country that regularly seeks to subvert, manipulate or ignore these legal frameworks, will certainly test that ambition,” she said.

The United Kingdom’s Labour administration has commissioned a government-wide audit of the UK-China relationship and has said it would be “clear-eyed” when it comes to China, given allegations of Chinese hacking and espionage on British soil.

Lammy is only the second top UK diplomat to visit China in six years.

Before the talks with Wang, he met Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, responsible for science and technology, and other top Communist Party officials.

He will also meet British business leaders in the eastern city of Shanghai during his two-day trip.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies