British foreign secretary arrives in China to mend ties

ANKARA

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly met with the Chinese vice president and the foreign minister as he arrived in Beijing on a long-awaited trip on Wednesday.

Soon after his arrival, Cleverly met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng to discuss a variety of issues related to bilateral relations between the two sides, state media reported.

Han told Cleverly that the UK-China ties could be further promoted based on pragmatic cooperation and mutual respect, local English daily South China Morning Post reported.

“Your visit to China this time will further promote the sound and stable development of bilateral relations between China and the UK,” Han was quoted as saying.

“The economic and trade relations featuring mutual respect and pragmatic cooperation between us will certainly see new progress,” he added.

Cleverly's visit, the first ever of a British foreign secretary since the 2018 trip of his predecessor Jeremy Hunt, is part of London's efforts to ease years-long tensions between the two countries over security and human rights issues.

“Engaging with China doesn’t mean that we shy away from the tough conversations,” Cleverly said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) before his meeting with the Chinese vice president.

"It’s about voicing our concerns directly – face to face. That’s why I’m here," he added.

Ties between the two countries touched a low ebb under former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after his government restricted some Chinese investment over national security concerns and expressed worry over the situation in Hong Kong.