David Lammy‚ the British Foreign Secretary is currently in Shanghai as part of a two-day China visit (that began in Beijing) His trip aims to reset UK-China relations under the new Labour government
During his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 10/18/24 Wang stated that bilateral ties “now stand at a new starting point“ He also added that “competition among major powers should not be the backdrop of this era“
In Shanghai Lammy is meeting British business leaders to discuss trade links with China. He pointed out that 95% of UK-China business isnt related to national security‚ saying:
What people also want is consistency - what business wants is stability and clarity
China ranks as Britains sixth-largest trading partner‚ making up 5% of total trade (according to the UK Department for Business and Trade)
The Labour administration has ordered a government-wide audit of UK-China relations‚ promising a “clear-eyed“ approach given allegations of Chinese cyber-hacking and espionage on British soil
Lammy mentioned discussing sensitive issues with Wang‚ including:
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- Human rights in Xinjiang
Sebastien Lai‚ son of jailed pro-democracy Hong Kong activist and British citizen Jimmy Lai‚ expressed hope that Lammy made it clear that normalizing relations is impossible while a British national remains imprisoned for defending democratic freedoms
Lammy emphasized that Britains position on Taiwan hasnt changed under the Labour administration He expressed concern about tensions in the Taiwan Strait‚ stating itʼs not in the global communitys interest
The Foreign Secretary concluded by saying‚ “Lets be clear‚ there are values‚ areas where the UK Government and our cultural approach will be different to Chinas and there are important areas of national security where we will always put the UKs national interests first“